Neverwinter Forest the way in which i walk

@Mordecai

The tall wolf was far from her home. Her aim was to arrive at the coast as quickly as her legs could carry her, but a forest stood in her path, and she had no desire to linger close to the unknown pack's borders. Falwasi hesitated for a millisecond before diving into the sea of greens, an unusual action for her. Forests had been her sanctuary for years, but something about this one was unsettling.

Falwasi trudged through the undergrowth, which was wild and overgrown, reaching up past her knees, but not tall enough to reach her shoulders. She looked up; the hardwood was tall, and the canopy thick, preventing much needed light from coming in. Any vacillation she had shown before evaporated, replaced with captivation. Though she might not want to admit it, the night in this forest however, would be discouraging.

Moss grew on the North side of the trees. Her father taught her that. From where she was standing, North would be on the right side of her, pointing towards the Sunspire. Falwasi retained a snarl as she thought of the pack — as she thought of the juvenile who had been so bent on attacking her. Pushing the thought away, the girl stopped, the mist that clung to the leaves of the ferns slowly soaking her legs, but she did not move.

The eerie glaze of frost covered the trees, the ferns, whatever it desired. This included Mordecai, who had been making his way back through the wood towards the Spine. He had pushed himself out for a run, a lengthy check of old trails recorded to memory. It was a far reaching effort to see if he could find any travelers in the dense forestry, but on that day none had. Instead what he had found had been a plump hare, which had long been done away with. Bloodied paws and jaw guided him swiftly towards home, but something tugged him in a different direction.

He first saw her through glimpses of heavy foliage, shrouded by the frost-turned-mist of the lightest part of the day. The sun set more rapidly now, Mordecai noted, which to him only signified that winter was well on its way. A matter of days, weeks at best, and he imagined they would all be treking through snow drifts instead of damp, cold grounds. The remains of his meal forgotten, he had not considered his appearance as he chose to jog closer to her. Curiosity had once again earned the better of him, and he gave her a crisp chuff through the cover.

She picked up an unfamiliar scent carried by the soft breeze, which also carried the scent of blood, followed by the footsteps of a male and a brisk chuff. The wolf must have been part of the pack Falwasi tried to stay away from. She turned her slim face to look at the wolf; a tall but muscular thing, draped in hues of russet and gold. His eyes were much like hers, but warmer. The blood she had smelled earlier was apparent on his mouth and paws, the sign post of a hunt.

The earthen wolf reverted her gaze to the forest, but after the briefest pause, she turned around to face the boy. "Hello," she greeted, dipping her head lightly. "Nice hunt?" Falwasi gestured her head towards his bloodied paws, then looked back at him. She was not one to stay and chat, but the stranger had come to her, and it would be rude to leave.

The wind was soft, and the humidity high, not aided by the secure shelter of the forest. It was a cloudy day, perhaps not the best day to choose to relax on the sandy shores, but the she-wolf was keen to visit the Western part of the Wilds, seeing as she had been meaning to for a while... before the bomb of drama exploded in the Creek.

Up closer, she seemed like a pretty young thing. But looks were often deceiving, as Mordecai had come to learn. She was youthful though, carried herself with a certain air of femininity and politeness that he had come to regard about many of the female persuasion of the Wilds. There were always exceptions to the rule though, so in reality it was truly rather varied. Her commentary about his hunt caught him off-guard at first, but a cursory glance at memory reminded him that he had yet to clean himself of the gains from it. He flashed her a parting smile, by then his pace slowed to a stop lingering distantly out of courtesy.

“It was fair enough,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. There had been just enough challenge to keep him interested, and catching the hare had been purely out of sport than hunger. Though his hunger was sated now. “What brings you out here?” There was a note of authority in his voice that had been absent meetings ago with other creatures; Mordecai did not notice the questioning tone of his own voice. She lingered near to the Spine, but not too close. A respectable distance, but one that he would nonetheless pursue for curiosities' sake. The overgrowth of the forest had long been their extended hunting grounds as the Spine and as the Mountain from seasons past.

[size=x-small]Sorry if posts will be slow this week — I'm crushed with work D:[/size]

Her stomach was close to rumbling as Falwasi continued to stare at the male's blood stained body. It had been four weeks since she'd had a decent meal; most of her kill had been donated to the Creek's shrinking load of food. The already slim female noticed her figure was thinning even more, but she wouldn't let her, or her pack, starve. She couldn't.

“What brings you out here?” The wolf asked, authority hinting his voice. Something in Falwasi's brain clicked, leading her to believe he was the Alpha of the nearby pack. "I thought I might head towards the coast," she said, before adding, "Just for a little bit." The she-wolf wasn't planning on staying at the edge of the Wilds for long — she had things to do.

For as scraggly as she was, Mordecai was almost inclined to wonder if she really had anywhere else to go. The coast seemed a bit off from where they were, though he had never really put it into a timeframe. It was hard to gauge, like so many other things. Travel time always depended upon too many outside variables. Either way, she did not fuss over his tone and because of that, he pressed on curiously.

“Coast is bound to be pretty frosty by now,” he said, sparing a thought for his brother in the Bay. “What about afterward? Coming back this way?” It was him playing at hands he couldn't see again, as though if she came back through he could swindle her over to them as another able body to keep winter at bay. As if bolstering their numbers any further would have actually kept it away; though if it would have, Mordecai would have worked doubly to make it so.

The graceful wolf knew the coast would be gelid, but she was bent on reaching the waters and intended to do so. At least her chamoisee pelt was thickening out, welcoming the coldest season of the year with a teasing attribute.

“What about afterward? Coming back this way?” the athletic-looking male inquired. In truth, Falwasi hadn't though of her return journey. "Maybe. Maybe not," she said, followed by the raise of one of her eyebrows. "Why do you care?" the warrior asked, curiosity occupying her.

Falwasi made a mental note to explore territory near the unknown packs dotted around the Wilds. She'd been here for over two months, but her internal map of the place had some missing aspects to it. Perhaps one day the map should be completed.

Her question teased a chuckle from him, in part because what she intended to do later was truly none of his business. Mordecai was well aware that his own curiosity sidled right up with being nosy, and sometimes that simply was just how he came across. “Just curious. Maybe I think you look interesting,” he suggested, smiling coyly. For all he knew, maybe she was an interesting sort. Or maybe she'd just be put off by his forwardness; either way, he knew he ran the risk of spooking her off. His appearance hadn't done it for him on this particular day, so perhaps his personality would.

“I'm Mordecai, by the way.” So he offered his name, hoping that it would better the possibility of ill will to the budding of their meeting. He wasn't about to lay out the cards and go full blown into the query of whether or not she needed somewhere to stay, simply because he didn't know enough about her to decide if that was really the route he wanted to take. The fact that she belonged somewhere else was not readily apparent, but his senses were dulled along with the remains of his hunt.

His response was awfully forward, to Falwasi's surprise. But his smile contradicted his words; it wasn't arrogant. On the contrary — it was almost... self-effacing? So, she didn't get pissed off, like she did with Luka for calling her beautiful. Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at accepting complements, and she held no embarrassment for her attitude at their first meeting.

Mordecai introduced himself, to which the grizzled golden wolf returned the introduction: "Falwasi," she said. Her mind wasn't set on her tonality. For once, she decided not to ignore a comment coming from another wolf. "How so?" Falwasi asked with a small tilt of her head, lingering in the rather dusty area she had first halted in, deciding against taking a few steps forward.

Her question, she convinced herself, was to find out why exactly Mordecai found her interesting. The girl would rather not have complements thrown at her, with no reason behind them. Falwasi wasn't exactly a flirtatious wolf; not to strangers, at least.

This post feels awkward and I've rewritten it a few times. I think my frustration/depression with IRL matters is getting to me. :C

Her interest was piqued, much to his liking. Mordecai preferred to keep company rather than chasing it away, and sometimes it was a fine line to walk between the two. He had in his time in their broad wilderness, met many creatures that were both interesting and worthy of whatever station they deigned as their own. Perhaps Falwasi would fall into that category herself, or maybe she would inhabit another place of her own. First impressions were hardly a thing he could use to gauge what kind of a being they all were.

“I'm not sure I can find a word for it,” he said, faltering unexpectedly. “You have a rather travel worn sense about you. As a traveler of sorts myself, I'm always interested in the places others have been.” He touched on the words delicately, trying to avoid saying that she looked horrible or simply outstanding. Extremes were often lies, weren't they? But his interest remained genuine, because if she were a traveler, then she no doubt had pieces to places he could only imagine visiting.

Of course, the same went for him as well.

[size=x-small]It was great! Gave me lots to respond to :)[/size]

A traveler... Falwasi would not consider herself one. She'd perceived enough journeys for the average wolf. Minnesota to the Wilds, the Creek to the Glacier, and she was preparing to make an excursion to the Bypass with her loyal arctic friend, Dovev. And, even though sensitive wasn't part of the girl's manner, she desperately wanted to return home to tell her brother she was sorry she left him.

Her thoughts trailed back to Zephyr. Falwasi knew that she was in denial, but she was denying that, too. It was a never ending circuit of NO. Maybe if she just said it out loud, admitted it to herself, even if it was a shout into the void, it would clear her mind up for her; but she couldn't. It would be too painful. Going back to Eagle Mountain to say sorry would be smoother.

Perhaps Mordecai thought she had an outrider sense about her by her looks, she mused as she snapped back into the present. Falwasi was conscious of her skinny physique at the moment, and her trip to the Glacier enhanced the title. "Partially wrong," she said, acting as if the robust male's answer had been a guess. "I just came back from a trip to the Glacier, but other than that I haven't traveled much," she finished.

After a lengthy minute, she spoke again: "I get the feeling you have good insight. Good instinct." Falwasi said, making a remark of her own. Mordecai's response wasn't one she expected. She expected the usual to her Daedalean questions: nothing. But of course, she always expected the worst.

Yay, that's my goal usually. :D

“I'd like to think so myself, and I don't mean that arrogantly,” he said with faint amusement. No one had ever really put that into words for him, saying that he had good insight and instinct. Mordecai often gambled on the possibilities of what others were, from what they did to their natural ability. Sometimes it cost him more than he was willing to put forward, and sometimes it worked out in the end. “I guess I wouldn't have gotten this far if not for one or the other, or both.” Yet by that criteria, perhaps they were all borne of good instinct and insight. Most of them didn't go off wandering into jaws of death so easily, anyway.

But his interests were piqued elsewhere at her mention of a glacier. That word would have been foreign for him, if he hadn't heard it before. Not quite with the emphasis that she seemingly implied on it. “So this glacier, is that far away? Otherside of the mountains across the plains?” If she wasn't a traveler, chances were that she did in fact have someone to call home. Being that he was beginning to pick up a grasp on what was around them, it had to be somewhere in the uncharted lands beyond those distant mountains. Where the wolves of the Spire lived, and just beyond it, the Creek.

The tawny woman couldn't help but release a soft snicker at Mordecai's non-arrogant plea. She agreed with his statement for the most part, though some wolves had others to rely on. Perhaps if for some reason they should become alone in the world, they wouldn't know what to do, and what they once thought was insight and instinct should shift to ignorance and incapacity.

Then, Mordecai brought up the Glacier again. He didn't seem to know about any existence over there. Falwasi furrowed her eyebrows gently but questioningly at him, "Yes, to the North of the Creek," she confirmed. "You know of the Creek, right?" the beige legged wolf asked, for assurance. Maybe the Wilds was much larger than she made it out to be. Maybe the wolves on the South side had no idea what was beyond the lands on the North side of the Spire mountain range. Or maybe, Falwasi had to do some more exploring for herself, to get a better grip on what the inter pack relations were.

One could never know enough.

When it came down to it, Mordecai had not explored much of the wilderness. He supposed that he probably should have, but with the turn of the season at their heels, it just didn't seem like the wisest of ideas. He had no idea what to expect once winter came to their lands, and given his status, it didn't seem like the best idea in the world to go off wandering. That was something in which he attributed to those beneath him, but only select creatures. If that distrust would pass in time, then perhaps he would give it consideration. Or perhaps once spring came, then he would find himself venturing out further and further into the wilds.

“Yes,” he said, filing away the mental map of things that she had help to add to. He was aware of the Creek and who led it, but beyond that he had never met many from there. But now he was certain that this was more than likely where she had come from, given her reference of it. “I don't think I've ever seen an actual glacier up close though. What does it look like?” His curiosity of such a landmass was hard to avoid; the only stories he had of glaciers came from his childhood, which was safely long behind him now.

Mordecai pressed on the topic of the Glacier. The velvet pelted she-wolf couldn't tell if he was genuinely interested, or just making conversation, but she answered him anyway. "Well, it's somewhat secluded. There's lots of ice," she said, repeating what Danica had told her since, as she saw for herself, was an accurate description.

Falwasi realised she hadn't really elaborated on his question, so she spoke again: "Picture the Sunspire, the largest share of it made of ice and snow. It's cold, a little barren apart from the Glacier wolves that roam the land. And at dusk..." she started, a smile tickling at the corners of her mouth. "I won't tell you. You'll have to see it for yourself, one day," she finished. Such a beautiful sight could not be explained in words. Maybe by an eloquent wolf's words it could.

This was the furthest South Falwasi had crept down upon, aside from the Heartwood. It wasn't much different to Swiftcurrent Creek, except that there were more forests that carried an intensity the female had only met in the Wetlands. Falwasi liked it; it was a part of her she kept since leaving the mountain.

He snorted with amusement as she teased him by not revealing what happened to this glacier at dusk. In a way, Mordecai wondered if he should have been surprised at all by the gesture; in a sense, it befit her just as much as her wispy appearance. “Perhaps I will,” he said, though he knew it would be a long while before he felt comfortable to make the journey. Mordecai did not stray from the Spine for a reason, and that reason was better left up to the imagination of minds he could not see into. It may have been an inkling of paranoia, or maybe he simply felt he had more control of a situation he had so little experience with.

Sighing passively, he shifted his weight and stance a bit. “Well, I suppose I should let you be on your way now. If you want a quicker path to the coast, you'd do best to avoid the tangle of trees to the west of here. Dip a bit more to the south and it will be a clearer path.” That path would more than likely send her on a collision course with the Bay, but Mordecai felt confident that she had enough sense about her to avoid their proverbial front door. Unless that was where she was heading, of course.

[size=x-small]Exit Falwasi. Thanks for the thread, I enjoyed it! <3[/size]

He released Falwasi from their conversation, with a suggestion that although she had no intention of following, perhaps she would on her way back. She was headstrong; she hated taking other wolves' advice, unless it was coming from one she trusted. She thought it made her look weak. And, the deer took a fancy to the captivating forest.

"Maybe I will," she said, repeating Mordecai's own words on visiting the Glacier. Falwasi lingered in her stance for a moment or two, for no apparent reason — none that she was aware of anyway. Then she turned to face the caliginous pine forest. Casting a glance back at the supposed Alpha while dipping her head respectfully, she said, "Until next time." If there were to be one.

Falwasi then took off swiftly into the dense undergrowth, bounding through the large, misty ferns, her fur becoming damp yet again. She was clearly evading Mordecai's suggestion, but she felt no qualm for it. It was her way of saying: 'I know what I'm doing."

As did I! <3

Wordlessly, he watched as Falwasi made her exit and lingered as she disappeared through the trees. He waited a moment more before turning his attention back to the Spine, eyeing it calmly as he ascertained what it was that was left to do. A lick to his muzzle told him once more of the blood that still lingered, and stirred a thirst of a different sort. Mordecai set off then with intentions to find the nearest stream, one in which he hoped would not be far away.