Ravensblood Forest The mysterious fog in winter

In the early morning, a thick mist began to envelop the forest, intruding deeper into the undergrowth. The horizon was completely white as frost on field. The sunlight was nowhere to be seen as the ominous clouds masked the whole sky. The enormous wolf ventured deep into the heart of the woods, his legs staggering along the path. His golden eyes were partially closed as if he was about to sleep. The trek through the mountains made him vaguely exhausted, but that wasn’t the reason why he had a difficult time to walk. He got into a nasty accident when he was passing through a rocky hill. The small cliff beneath him had cracked somehow and he had fallen down the hill. Unfortunately, the accident was going from bad to worse. While he was falling down, a heavy rock was tumbling down the hill to collide with him. Ouch! Miraculously, he had managed to survive the accident. The sharp rock had only scratched on his upper back. After his collapse, he was laying on the dirt to slowly recover himself. He wasn’t moving at all for a moment. However, he eventually got up to continue his journey. He wasn’t upset at all because he knew that bad things could happen to him. No matter how many frustrations come along, or how many problems arise, he would always bear in mind that life just goes on. He just has to accept what happened and continue living.

Ace leaned his head against a tree and he allowed for a momentary paused to take a few breaths. He stared pensively at his reflection in the icy puddle. He could see the laceration on his upper shoulder, and it looked very nasty. With a slight motion, he angled his skull in such a way that allowed his vision to be directed over his shoulder. He saw the red droplets on the long path. Although he was injured, he maintained his sang-froid and did not let his stress get the best of him. There was no point in stressing out over a wound because it could become much worse. Ace already knew that if he was all stressed out, his blood pressure would increase significantly and he would lose his blood much faster. With a little effort, he veered to the side to avoid the tree, his calm gaze skimming over to the horizon. He was looking for herbs that could heal his cut. He had already mastered the art of healing ever since he was a young wolf. He knew which one to choose and he could identify them by sniffing their own unique scents. The plant called Yarrow was his number one priority. He really needed to treat his wound with that plant so he could stop bleeding. Honey was his next option, but it would be very hard to find a bee nest. All the bees are inactive during the early winter. It would be great if he had the honey because it would do an amazing job to disinfect his wound.

After a long inspection, the male wolf didn’t have much luck finding the natural remedies. Those herbs were nowhere to be found. Besides, he had a difficult time to find them because the white fog would obscure his peripheral vision. He let out a sigh of discontent before proceeding with his searching. Once his claws were in motion, the blood from his wound coursed down his front legs. He could feel a huge twinge of pain on his upper back which it made his lips curled into a slight grimace. Within a few minutes, Ace was walking along the hillside. His pain recurred when he was ascending very slowly. All of a sudden, he stepped in a hidden hole and he fell again. The withered leaves beneath him began to scatter upon the frozen grass. He lay on his back and he remained motionless, viewing the dark clouds that moved in various directions. He still had a little strength to get up, but ultimately he decided to take another rest. He took a deep breath before speaking to himself. “Life is like a sea. It can be calm and still or beautiful and vivid, but it can also be rough and rigid.” As he closed his eyes, he tried to remember the moments when he used to spend time with his beloved family. His mind was so strong that he could conjure up almost every event of his childhood. The silence began. The whole area was strangely quiescent, albeit more chilly than usual. The snowflakes started to fall down like feathers, gradually covering the earth.

The fog swirled along his paws, a reminder of how quiet the forest had become. A few of the wolves that had accepted his invitation to stay had seemingly left – he hadn’t requested their undying loyalty, and so he did not pay it much heed. Their pack was not yet established, and he only desired members that were interested in remaining – thus far, they were a small band of four.
 
Snow began to drift downward – a gentle flurry, and he released a soft chuff in to the air, watching his breath curl before him from the frost much like the white winter fog. There was a sharp thud, and then silence – a few of the ravens that flitted above the trees flapped their wings, stretching and then looking at him expectantly. He regarded them with his own fiery eyes, bemusement flickering in its depths as he heard their unspoken demand – better check it out, big guy.
 
So he prowled forward. The scent of a stranger was stronger now – but not as strong as blood. Finally, he came upon what had caused the stir of the ravens. The dark wolf lay on his back, having seemingly taken a tumble. He was unmoving, but was conscious. “You’re in the land we’re looking to claim,” he finally offered, peering down at the wolf. The old Constantine would have made a quip about the situation, but instead, he wanted to get right to the point as a frown darkened his features. “You’re bleeding. What happened?”

Opening his golden eyes, the black canine returned to the real world where he could continue his adventures. He just couldn’t lay here all day and constantly brood about his past. He had to get up and proceed in life. Out of the eerie silence came a male’s voice, but it didn’t provoke an inclination of the brute’s head, the swiveling of his ears in his direction was the only indication that he acknowledged his presence. His demeanor remained the same – he was still very calm and collected as if he was on the fields of heaven. He could have been a little bit more prudent and defensive toward the stranger, but he couldn’t display that behavior because he was mentally exhausted. Although he didn’t take enough rest, he stood up slowly so he could begin the conversation with the other wolf in a polite way. It would be rude if he was just looking at the sky and talking to the wolf at the same time.

Ace shook his battered body to remove the snow that got stuck on his coat. He winced once again when he performed that action. Shifting his paws, he pivoted around in a slow, unhurried way to face the average wolf. He reminded him a lot of his playful brother. After many years, he still remembered him and he could see that this stranger was almost indistinguishable from his brother due to their similar appearance. He felt that his ghostly brother was just standing in front of him. Ace’s gaze swept around to observe the wondrous vast land. Thus far, he enjoyed walking here even if he had an injury. Everything here was peaceful and quiet. “You’re choosing a good place to build a pack.” He said calmly, his frost breath swirling around his muzzle. He glanced back at the curious wolf to proceed with his speech. “I just fell down a cliff when I was hiking through the mountains. I almost got killed by a falling rock.” There was absolutely no hint of fear in his voice when he told him the details about his accident. However, he could see a deep frown that was forming on the male’s features. Is he feeling pity? Ace was uncertain, but he doesn’t want anyone to feel bad for him. “I will be okay soon. I know exactly what I need to do to recuperate myself. For every problem, there is a solution.” He said with an optimistic tone. His placid demeanor suddenly changed as he displayed a confident façade. He was positive that he would soon find the herbs to heal himself. “What’s your purpose today? Are you searching for more competent wolves that can help you create your pack?” The brute sat on the white surface, waiting patiently for his response. He lifted his head and saw a few ravens that were flying effortlessly upon the trees. One of them was flapping its dark wings on the branch. Ace admired those birds because they are extremely intelligent and they can form social attachments with the wolves.