ooc: @Luke -
for the reference, Osprey is 6 weeks pregnant, her belly is round and showing, her condition, however, is not good - she has lost weight, her fur is unkempt, she looks very weary and tired.
There had been a lot of things that Osprey had wondered about, but never experienced. However, limping on all four feet had been something she hadn't been able to imagine in her wildest nightmares. The fever that had kept her from going anywhere had released it's grasp on her for a bit, making her feel a bit better and lively, but the pain in her joints, that were still inflamed and swollen, hadn't gone away. Therefore walking together with the extra-weight she carried along was slow, every step she made took effort. Yet, what she needed was more important than giving in the weakness.
She was thirsty and was on the lookout for a puddle or a little creek to drink from. And for stupid reasons and because of her own stubborness she didn't venture inside the plateau to seek out the known sources. She didn't want to meet anyone of the pack, her path therefore led away from her home. Lucky for her - she didn't have to go too far - it had rained recently and, where at the lower parts of the vast flatlands, the water had collected. It was murky and muddy, but in her state she couldn't be very picky about, what she got. Osprey leaned down and drank it greedily, enjoying the ice cold substance.
In a sudden moment of weakness, her feet gave way and she collapsed in the puddle with a muted splash.
With his belly full of fresh caught trout, Luke resumed his leisurely exploration, only to be sidetracked when the scent of another wolf drifted across his nose. With no reason not to investigate, and his curiosity and sociability taking hold as usual, the blue-nosed wolf followed the scent back. From a distance his silver eyes caught the form of a rather plump female taking a drink from a puddle, but he was startled to see her collapse into it.
"Hey!" he barked, his paws kicking into gear and bringing him to her side in a hurry. "Hey! Are you okay? Come on, let's get you up." Luke did not hesitate to crouch down beside her, pressing his trim body against hers for support to help her stand.
The sudden fall made Osprey surprised and confused. Feet had never failed her before, therefore she did not understand, what had happened and why. The only thing that was clear - she was lying flat on her belly in a puddle of ice-cold water and, even though her aching and inflamed joints enjoyed cooling off, her stomach, which - as the kids grew, took more place in her body and distended the skin - had lost a great deal of fur, leaving it bare and more tender to touch and temperature changes.
As she prepared to move, all of a sudden there was a stranger wolf by her side, inquiring, how she was doing and whether she was hurt. "I don't know," she murmured, feeling very stupid for this fact. However, he leaned in to help, therefore she pulled her feet under her body and pushed herself back to her feet. Osprey whined of how painful it was, but forced herself to walk out of the water. When she reached the first dry spot, she lied down again. "Thank you... brave knight," she told him with a smile that was a faint reflection of her old carefree self. "May I know your name?"
Luke assisted the silver female to rise and stayed by her side as she stepped out of the puddle. She did not travel far, no further in fact than the first dry area away from the puddle, before she laid down again. The blue-nosed wolf stood for a few moments, looking her over with compassionate scrutiny. He found her fur a mess, her belly rounded with pups yet she still appeared somewhat undernourished, and there was a weariness about her face. Luke furrowed his brows.
"I am no knight, my friend," he said softly with a gentle smile. "I'm Luke. What's your name? Where did you come from? You look like you've been walking a rough path." Luke lay down beside her, close enough that she may lean in and seek the comfort and warmth of his body, but not so close that he invaded her personal space.
"No-knight Luke - nice to meet you," Osprey teased him a little and kept smiling, surprised, how very easy it was to be like this, when she was talking to a complete stranger, and how very hard it was to treat her friends the same way. Where had she lost that and how? Yet this place, even though located not too far from the plateau's borders, was somewhere outside the cursed loop of misery at home. She decided to forget her worries just for a bit, because it was quite possible that she was not going to see a ray of light through the clouds anytime soon.
"I am Osprey, my life is a mess at the moment," she was unhappy and desperate, but not that much to pour her heart out to a total - albeit nice and friendly - stranger. "But I am fine otherwise," she almost laughed at the irony. Fine was very far from, where she was standing, but then again - this was none of the stranger's business.
"So, Luke - which pack are you from?" she had no desire to speak more about herself in detail, therefore after asking this and keeping her ears open for his answer, she began to lick her wet paws dry.
Luke's head slanted to the side as the the troubled girl described her life as being in a mess, and there was a compassionate look on his face as he softly gazed upon her. He was all too familiar with struggle, and yet he could not even begin to fathom what Osprey was going through; the possibilities were infinite. Luke reached out and patted the top of her paw with his own, but she moved on to another topic before he had a chance to impart upon her one of his (somewhat cheesy) phrases of wisdom.
"I don't know yet," Luke grinned broadly as he answered, his tail wagging. "I haven't settled into one or started one yet." He paused glancing at his newest companion at length while she cleaned her paws, his joyful expression never faltering, as it seldom did. "Life is fun like that. I know where I am today but I have no idea where I'll be tomorrow. I can hardly wait to see." Luke chuckled softly. "Where are you from?"
As Luke spoke, sounding so carefree and joyous, about his life being a neverending adventure, Osprey almost broke out in tears and sobs. Because it was as if seeing a reflection of her old-self right there and, even though she had contemplated this several times before, never had she wished to be in someone else's shoes so badly as she wanted to be now. Leave this worn-out, weak and painful body, leave the worries and depression behind, be free, be happy, look forward to, what the next day would bring... Maybe even go with this stranger and see the world together.
She had had it all and had traded this for being miserable and guilt-ridden, afraid of the future. Boy, did now her actions seem so stupid and she couldn't help but wonder, how could she give up everything so easily. What was a moment of pleasure and love worth in front of this? Life was fun for him - she envied Luke, because hers wasn't anymore. She didn't enjoy living the day, she barely endured the hours ticking by slowly.
Yet she was good at not showing the storm that was raging within her, she managed to remain curious, maybe a little melancholic. "Not far - Blacktail deer plateau," she told him, beckoning towards the distant line of trees. "So you have had fair share of adventures, I presume? Mind sharing, what kind?"
Blacktail deer plateau, she answered, and Luke's ears twitched with recognition, his silver gaze following Osprey's line toward the very same plateau that Mordecai had gestured to him before. So, this was one of his packmates. He made a note to tell her he had met Mordecai by the river earlier, but first she had another question for him.
"Every day is an adventure!" Luke shared enthusiastically, his tail thumping on the ground. Not everyone shared his opinion, reserving the word for more daring and risky undertakings, but the blue-nosed wolf operated under different parameters from most. To him, nothing was worthy of the word more than a new day, filled with endless possibility. "You just have to be willing to let it be one. Everything is only what you make of it." Luke beamed at Osprey.
Every day is an adventure! Luke announced and Osprey regarded him with a little surprised gaze. How old was this guy? By the looks alone it was clear that he was more than one year old, had he she known that he - in fact - was her senior by a year, she would be very surprised. If she had believed herself to be reckless and carefree about the way she lived, then Luke definitely surpassed her by a great deal.
"That's true," she agreed with the - everything is only what you make of it - part. In that sense term "trouble" did not exist - it was either a sticky situation with limited chances of getting out of it unharmed, if you were a bit of a pesimist, or... a chance to change your life and have new opportunities. At the moment she had chosen the first road, even though lately - as she got more used to the idea that she was pregnant - she caught herself wondering, what would it be like to be a mother, curious about seeing those "fuzzy mugs" Blue willow had spoken about. The future still was wrapped in darkness, but occasionally she would see a flicker of hope that everything could turn out well in the end.
"So... in that case - what did you do yesterday?"
Luke was eccentric by a lot of standards, but his indomitable optimism had served him well and he was truly a happy fellow, and what was the point of life if not to be happy? If he could convince everyone to live like he lived he would, but alas it took all kinds to make the world go around. He would continue to share his outgoing wisdom to whoever mind to listen, however, even if they gave him a surprised glance at some of the oddball things that he said. Sometimes the right words touched the right ears and left a lasting impression. Sometimes not.
"Actually," Luke began with a bit of a mischievous grin. "I believe I taught one of your packmates how to fish. Or gave him a few pointers at least. Mordecai?" Luke looked at her expectantly, his head leaning to one side as he waited for confirmation.
"I know Mordecai," in fact he was probably the ony one Osprey had not either met or spoken with, ever since the news that she had broken the rule had spread around. It was a good thing that he did not belong to the leadership and shared the ranks with her. Somehow she believed that he would not either try to fix her situation, offer help, where she was not convinced of whether she should have it and maybe, just maybe treat her as if nothing had happened. Then again she might be wrong. She had proven to her friends that she was not the person they had known her to be and it was quite likely that Mordecai was the same.
"Was he any good?" she asked, genuinely curious, remembering her first attempts at fishing that had ended with her falling headfirst in the water and bruising her muzzle. She had decided then that fish weren't worth the effort, that it was a lot easier to catch a hare or bring down a deer.
It was confirmed: Mordecai and Osprey were indeed packmates. How strange it would have been if they both lived on the same plateau but did not know each other. Stranger things could happen though, thought Luke, who momentarily mused to himself that there could be two packs up on that plateau for all he knew.
"I demonstrated, he watched." the blue-nosed wolf shared. "He wasn't feeling up to trying himself." Luke gazed softly at Osprey, wondering if she was even aware of her packmates injuries, which had begun to mend but were still very fresh. "His injuries were bothering him," he said, not outright questioning if she knew of them but fishing in a way.
"Injuries?" Osprey repeated, tilting her head slightly to the side, looking at Luke, expecting him to tell more. On the other hand she felt a pang of shame and guilt for being so involved in her own troubles that she had not noticed, not even sought the man out to find out, what had happened and how he was doing. Of course, due to herself not feeling well, she could be excused, but still. Mordecai was a friend - or so she thought after their last encounter, when they had invented so many great things for the plateau. It seemed like ages ago... the ghosts, the monsters, the spirit that guarded their home.
It was also sad that she had found out about this from a random stranger, no one had bothered to come and tell her. Not that she thought it was not her fault - she had clearly stated that she wanted to be alone and her wish was granted. Should she ask Luke, what had happened to the man? That would seem very odd, it would also tell a great deal about the pack's relationships altogether. That were "great" at the moment. "Poor fellow," she said eventually and reminded herself to find him later to mend at least this mistake.
"What has been your biggest catch?" she asked, her tone playful. "Ever caught a mermaid or a sea-serpent?" Fishermen and hunters were two groups of people that told the greatest tales about fantastic things that had happened to them in real life, while no one had been around.
From her reaction, Luke understood that Osprey did not know Mordecai had been injured, but he thought nothing less of her for it. It was not for him to judge whether she should have known; there were simply too many variables to consider. The subject passed rather quickly when she proceeded to ask him about his biggest catch, and with a smile Luke was happy to share a tale or two.
"I'd give my tail to even see a sea-serpent or mermaid!" he laughed. "My biggest catch was a salmon as long as me! " He said, his face lighting up with the a storyteller's joy. "It took all I had to drag the thing to shore, but boy did I ever have a feed when I got him there!" Luke's tail beat back and forth on the ground, audibly thumping. Was he exaggerating? It was true that he had wrestled a big salmon out of a stream once when the bruiser was on his way to spawn, it just may not have been the full length of his body.
Luke sighed with fondness, remembering that day and many others like it. But he had a question of his own and turned to Osprey with a gentle look. "How are you feeling?"
A fish long as Luke himself? Well, Osprey would have expected nothing less from this guy, who apparently lived for and breathed in the adventures every single day. She was not a big fan of fish (however, if she had a chance she ate them, of course), but at the mention of a "grand feed" after catching the mighty creature, she felt, how her mouth filled with saliva, thinking about, how great it would be to enjoy fresh meat again and not throw most of it up later.
He then inquired about her well-being and she half-cringed, wondering, how bad she actually looked to other people. She hid her pain as much as she could, although some of it was still visible. She could not hide her poor current status and all she wished that people would stop worrying and not ask anything about it, thus reminding her, how bad things were. It was no point in lying, therefore she went for a half-truth. Harmless enough. "I have been better, thank you, but I manage," she said in an upbeat voice that sounded a little fake even to her. "Ever rescued a princess from a dragon or saved damsel in distress?" she filled the silence quickly by asking him more questions.
Luke smiled at Osprey. It was apparent to him that she did not wish to discuss herself too much, hurriedly moving the subject from his question to querying him about dragons and damsel in distress. He chuckled softly. "Well," he began, about to oblige her with another tale, "I did once came across a feisty princess locked in mortal combat with a fierce dragon!" His voice took on a dramatic tone as he spoke zealously. "She fought bravely, but the beast was covered in spikes, and he threw himself at her, his spikes stabbing her in many places! She hollered in pain," he paused, dramatically of course. "I thought she was done for, but she charged at him and bit his face clean off! The mighty dragon was slain." Luke started to laugh as his tale drew to a close. "I did help her pull the spikes out, but some damsels in distress just go ahead and save themselves." He grinned broadly, having spun a porcupine into a dragon and an ordinary girl into a princess fighting for her life instead of making a risky dinner choice.
Whatever had happened in real life between the feisty princess and the dragon, Osprey liked the improved version a great deal better. Especially the part, where Luke admitted that ladies could save themselves too. This wasn't a fact that many men agreed upon, therefore this open-minded fellow earned a badge for his courage. She also found it great that he replied to her questions that some people would have considered as odd without blinking an eye. As if sea serpents, mermaids and dragons were the most natural things in the world.
Therefore she felt encouraged to continue. "Alright - a big fish caught, a dragon slain... what about ghosts and demons - ever met those? I have heard that they can be really nasty enemies to have," she mused.
Luke could spin a tale or two, but he was not a born storyteller, and as she proposed her next question, he found himself humming and hawing. "A ghost, hmm... a demon... ah..." he thought intensively for a moment, but another tale did not come to him. "No, sorry," he said with a sheepish smile. "I guess I am still waiting to meet either of those."
Luke did not outright disbelieve in ghosts, although he did not necessarily think of them as transarent figures haunting the land. He felt that all creatures had a spirit, were connected in some way, and that there was more to life than anyone fathom. In a darker time he had experienced things that he could only explain as ghostly, as though a spirit of the departed had lingered.
"What about you, eh? Any mystical encounters?" he queried after a few moments of silence.
"Plenty," Osprey replied with a toothy grin, recalling all of the mystical beasts she and Mordecai had invented together, not to mention dragon-hunting missions in her early youth. For her the line between, what was real and what was imaginary, was not very distinct. Both worlds existed side by side, both mixed together often. Who was to say that none of the beasts she knew did not exist? There was no proof that they did and likewise there was no proof that they didn't.
"Plateau actually has three ghostly inhabitants, but there might be more, of course," she momentarily thought about a big ghostly gathering at certain time during the month. This idea was worth pursuing and exploring further. She would even have to mention this to Mordecai, when they met next... then with a jolt she remembered, where she was and what had happened and that nothing was fine anymore. And the flash of her old-self cringed and ran with it's tail tucked against it's belly, as if someone had hit it.
Her expression mirrorred an inner struggle, she clenched her teeth. Was there any point in lashing out at yourself constantly, denying any opportunity of having good time? No. She let it go with a sigh and looked up at Luke, silently apologizing for this. "There have been some dragons too and trolls," she went on. He could choose, whichever beast he wanted to hear about from her.
Luke listened attentively, expecting a tale about three ghosts, but instead he saw the girl's internal struggle as she tucked her tail and clenched her teeth. It was evident to him that she was finding it difficult to keep her mind off her troubles, her look even apologizing to him in silence, to which he returned a sympathetic smile. Once more he reached out and patted her paw with his, offering comfort, though he wished there was more he could do for her. "Maybe I should help you home," he said softly, concerned about her safety, worried that she might collapse again if she went alone. "You can tell me more about the ghosts on the way," he suggested with a lighter tone and encouraging smile.
"I..." Osprey stopped half-way, thinking, what she was about to say. I don't need help? She was not the tough and strong wolf she had been before anymore. It was a very sad fact that she could manage only the simplest things by herself and exist. This incident, where her feet had failed her, was another step down the path of falling apart alltogether. She could, of course, crawl back to the plateau, since it was not that far away, and get there by the end of tomorrow, if all was really bad, but then again - what if she could not move anymore? What if she could not call for anyone to help her?
"Yeah, sure, it's not that far anyway," she got to her feet, arched her back and then stretched her paws - first the fore ones and then the hind. She felt prickling pain in each one of them, but otherwise it seemed tha they would carry her home. "It's there," she beckoned towards the forest and began to walk slowly. "Which ghosts of the three you want to hear about? The first, the second or the third? There is a distinct possibility of a fourth one too," she let Luke choose.
Luke was perceptive enough to know that Osprey, however weak she may appear right now, was nothing of the sort. He sensed in her a very strong woman, and knew that it troubled her to accept his offer to escort her home. This is why he had so softly made the offer and coupled it with the suggestion that she tell him about her ghosts. He did not at all want to upset her, but was genuinely worried about her condition. It was a relief to him that she agreed to let him walk her to the plateau.
"How about the second ghost?" he answered, keeping his tone light in a hopeful effort to keep her spirits up (no pun intended). As Luke strolled along beside her, toward the distant trees, he kept his body close, both for comfort and support should she find she needed it.
Where Osprey avoided to have Burke anywhere near her, she felt oddly at ease to have Luke this close. Either because deep inside she really craved for having a contact with someone or because he was a stranger and they had no history at all. He was nice enough not to point out at her obvious weakness and the fact that she did not look that well. These were things she knew herself and would - indeed - feel a little offended, if someone else told her the same thing. And he got a definite bonus point in the list of good traits for showing genuine interest in the ghost.
"The second one. Alright - his name is Gallert," Osprey replied, trying to recall, what exactly she and Mordecai had come up with for this chap and at the same time minding, where she put her paws, and keeping her senses alert, in case her feet decided to fail her again. "He is tall, walks on two feet, sometimes on four. His eyes are big and he has silly little ears that are stuck flat to his head. And... he hasn't got a regular muzzle, something odd instead. He is not a happy ghost, he wails and moans during dark nights and then sometimes he just rushes through you and you feel very, very cold. So - yeah. He is not bad though," this made her wonder, whether anything was bad in her book of wonderous beasts and where to find them.
Luke listened attentively, but as Osprey's description of the ghost went on he felt a chill creeping up his spine, and it was not because the ghost had decided to join them, rather it was a troublesome memory that he was reminded of. He could not be certain if Osprey was referring to a human ghost, but it was a similar enough description that Luke found himself momentarily lost within his own mind, remembering his encounters with humans, how profound an impact they had had on his life. But as his companion concluded with "he is not bad though," the blue-nosed wolf pushed the thoughts away.
"He sounds lonesome," he said. "What about the fourth? What makes you think there is a fourth?" Luke showed genuine interest, not a hint on his gently smiling face that she had provoked a memory of a sore spot in his past.
Osprey had never seen humans herself, but Gallert was very close to be a such - made of bits and pieces some of the nomads that had stopped by Flightless falcons had revealed in their tales about aliens living in far off places. However, if you had a look in her mind to see, how she envisioned this ghost nr.2 to look like, human would be the very last thing you would come up with. A mix between a troll and a frog. With a tail and two horns atop it's head.
"The fourth one," she fell silent, thinking about, what it could be. Because, frankly speaking, she and Mordecai had never gone that far in creating the ghostly folk. "It's the one you can't see, but you have a feeling that it's there. Ever felt that way?" she asked him, finding her idea very convenient and worth exploring more, if Luke showed interest in doing so.