Totoka River It’s Not Much, But It’s Honest Work

Setting: Evening — 19:28. 78 degrees — Clear Skies, beautiful sunset.
Set on the south end of the Takota River, closer towards Ravensblood Forest.

@Eleuthera

Donovan paws out from his newly claimed land, if one can call it that. His wide, heavy paws spur him forth parallel to the winding river that’s born of a waterfall further south. Some parts of this river are deadly rushing rapids. While other areas are slowed down by the numerous rocks and boulders that seem to be slowly eroding away over time. This evening he finds himself deciding to fish. Finding food for the cache is important even though there’s only the pair of them residing in the lonesome, bleeding forest.

His path stops at a wide section of the Takota River. One that is just barely deep enough to swim in and even then he can feel the gravel close beneath his paws when he does. No, he doesn’t haphazardly jump in like he’s on summer vacation. He’s tiptoeing into the shallow end until it settles just below the bend of his elbow. His glorious coat is tinted orange with the ferocity of the setting sun and his muscles ripple beneath his coat powerfully as he shifts his weight. The massive male’s muzzle is craned low to the water ready to strike and his shimmering gold orbs skitter along the river floor, awaiting for his prey to curiously investigate him. 

With his brow pinched in concentration he stares only into the water. Allowing the rest of his surroundings to blend into one another. So much so he probably wouldn’t notice anyone who passed by. Sure he probably looked batshit insane staring into the water so stick still, but he’s hungry so he wills his patience to cooperate with him.

✹☾❂

 

Her mother had told her great stories of these woods. Olive had always had a fixation with the bleeding timbers, to a level that she had really only seem with Elysium and their trove of weeping willows. It was a long story, something about her older brothers and sister, and a pack of which she was the beta, and how they were ousted from these woods by a rival pack who hated them because of mama’s first husband? It was a whole lot of drama, and Olive had only truly spoken to her about it once, so the details now escaped her, but… Eleuthera still felt drawn to these woods, mesmerized by whatever unfinished business lingered in this place. 

But as always, time marched ever onwards, and the history of Ravensblood Forest compounded, grew more complex, almost until those complexities erased her mother’s story completely. Was this the case in every place, every pocket of the earth? There were a million stories that all coalesced in one place, existing all at once, and no one was ever the wiser to the magic that happened upon the ground where they now stood, breathing the air they once breathed? vibrating with the same energy, time and time again?

Packs have taken up residence here since her mother had lived here, all those years ago — many of them, if Eleuthera were to guess correctly. There was there one now, she scented, although small and their numbers few. Yet their scent was strong, so Eleuthera prowled outside the forest’s periphery, very much a part of the shadows that grew long in the lateness of the day. She gazed upon the trees, but she could not penetrate more than several yards in the treeline so whatever was inside, was likely to remain a mystery to her. What she was expecting to find only existed in the memory of the dead, anyways. 

So Eleuthera continued on and felt somewhat overheated from the efforts of circumventing the diameter of no small forest. It was becoming a summer habit, to take up residence in a cool body of water whenever she felt exhausted or travelworn. She was no waterwolf, but even she could admit there were few things more relaxing than a dip when one was without company. The lilac sprite trotted towards the chiming of running water, running faster yet when it came into view, and (unlike the man who so stealthily stalked his prey) she burst through the underbrush and prepared to leap into the waters —

until she suddenly caught sight of a wolf-bear, already well within her trajectory on the way down! Eleuthera did her best to stop her forward momentum by pushing her pointed paws into the earth, but the soft summer mud did nothing to slow her tumble forward, so Eleuthera bit down and prepared for impact with the obelisk of a stranger.

The earth around him remains peacefully silent. The male continues staring into the water, patiently waiting for a fish to swim by, but life seems to have different plans for him. He’s only been in the position for a few minutes. In a matter of seconds, his concentration is broken when the sudden sounds of thumping footsteps and an unrelenting force is tumbling into him. He’s only able to turn his head fast enough to see the blurred image of another four legged creature skidding towards him.

When the impact happens, whatever hits him isn’t big enough to completely knock him onto his ass. Rather, it hits him enough to knock of his balance enough to cause him to take a couple of hurried steps to the opposite direction in an attempt to right himself.

He’s not so much mad as it scared the fuck out of him. Getting blindsided like that when ones not suspecting anything is horrible and his heart is beating a few times faster in his breast. Though now that it settles his brows pinch together and his massive form comes to tower over the other. Obviously smaller than him, the wolf before Donovan is a female by the scent and a light grey-blue color. A striking and interesting coat color he hasn’t seen before in a wolf. Which almost makes him believe they’re to be part dog.

To coin gold eyes star down at her and now he raises a brow, going between her and the river. “You scared off my dinner.” He hums casually. And just for shits and giggles he almost decides to say, ‘Maybe I should make you my dinner.’ But he’s able to refrain himself.

✹☾❂

 

It certainly was not Eleuthera’s most graceful moment. The man became aware of her just a moment too late to do anything about it — Eleuthera let out a small, anticipatory yip as the collision happened in slow motion. First her nose, then her face, then the rest of her; all toppling forward in a tangle of limbs. At this very moment, Eleuthera’s mind could only think one thing:

fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck

Interestingly, there was little damage done. The small, willowy woman bounced off the man’s massive figure relatively harmlessly, throwing her into the shallow waters below in a large and indelicate splash. The coldness of the water was the next big shock, then determining which way was up came next. Once Eleuthera ceased her flailing, got her legs underneath her and lifted herself up out of the water, she was beyond embarrassed and really just wanted to leave the entire scenario completely.

Water dripped in rivulets from her sodden, ashen pelt. She lifted a paw to wipe water away from her mouth, and to touch tenderly at her nose, which was unceremoniously smooshed upon impact. “I’m so sorry, you were standing so still…” she admitted, her voice small and shaky and seeking the retribution that was owed to her. Eleuthera’s brow pinched in concern.

“…but I guess that’s part of fishing, right?” There was a ghost of a laugh on her tongue at the realization, but it quickly evaded her once she got a better look at the wolf who’s lunch she ruined. He was big, bigger than any wolf she had ever seen before. Suddenly Eleuthera felt puny, and she shrunk into herself further. She opened her eyes and cut him a glance with suddenly, steely determination.

“My god, this is a disaster. I’ll just be going now.” She nodded to him, bidding him adieu. The lilac woman pulled herself onto the shore from the river’s edge, shook her pelt, and regarded the monolith one last time. “It was very nice to meet you,” she smiled devilishly despite herself. “and again, sorry about your dinner.”

As the poor girl attempts to get her legs under her again, he vaguely thinks about helping her. Though it seems she’s on her feet quicker than he thought she would be. Her nervous stammering and the way she pawed at her nose make her look almost cute.

When her eyes shift over his impressive form he can tell her nervous tick gets worse. As she digs herself deeper into the hole of embarrassment the wolf finds herself in Donovan can help but release a deep, hearty laugh. Waving her off with a giant paw and he nods his head for her to come closer or perhaps just stay.

“An interesting way to meet someone. Come. Fish with me.” He offers as he walks further into the water. “If you’d like.” He adds as a way out.

✹☾❂

 

Oh no, now he was laughing at her! She cut him a sheepish grimace from over her shoulder, lavender eyes shining brightly with acknowledgment oh the ridiculousness of the past few moments. Now that she keyed into the fact that he wasn’t angered by her folly, she felt less inclined to retreat. In fact, anyone who could be surprised out of their wits, have their meal squandered, and still laugh about it was probably worth a conversation or two.

The brute invited her to fish with him, and immediately raucous bells went off in her head, chiming very loudly that he’s going to hit on you!!! but Eleuthera felt obligated, in a way. The least she could do was spare the man some of her attention, right? Plus, he had done nothing wrong to her; if anything, his willingness to be friendly cast the man in a different light than the one he was cast in moments prior. Almost as if it was another wolf entirely.


Eleuthera slowly wheeled herself around to regard him studiously, as well as the swirling waters around him. ”I don’t know, I…” she contemplated out loud, taking a ginger step forward. She craned her neck to look over the riverbank, to see if any fish has reacclimatized and withdrew from their hiding spots.

”I’ve never been good at fishing… Clearly.” the woman admitted. It was the honest truth — she had learned to hunt, not to fish. She and Séamus had taught each other, no thanks to their mother (who was diametrically opposed to killing any living creature) and then, the siblings never lived in one place long enough to necessitate the learning of such a skill. ”I don’t want to disturb you any more than I already have.” Again she smiled, because she knew he would not turn her away, and she knew that he knew that she knew that universal law.

Donovan watches her casually, tall form unintentionally squared off. Head held high and confident and he rolls his eyes with a smile at her excuse of not being able to fish. “Wouldn’t want to learn?” Then he looks down at the water his eyes catch a small silver fish flitting by his massive paw. Instantly his jaws open and his head disappears into the water with a splash. He’s only submerged for a second, for when he brings his head up from its downward position the fish that’s only about four inches long is caught in his dangerous jaws.

He smirks over to her with the fish in his mouth and walks towards the ashen wolf to drop the fish before her confidently. “It’s easy if you have quick reflexes.”

His paws carry him back into the water. “Last chance.” He says teasingly with a cocked brow and a smile.

✹☾❂

 
Perhaps Eleuthera’s reflexes were not at quick at this man’s, because she was downright startled when he went from speaking to being underwater in a quarter of a second. In fact, at first, she completely forgot he was fishing at all, and her first thought was what on earth is he doing?! but when he resurfaced, fish in maw, she exhaled the entire breath that sat caught in her chest and laughed as a new breath filled her.

The brute approached and threw the small fish at her pointed paws. Eleuthera nudged the tiny, flapping thing with with her sodden toes and looked up to regard him incredulously. Impressive, it seriously was, but was such effort worth such a small yield? ”Why would you need to teach me, when you’ve already caught a fish for me?” the lilac woman questioned brightly, but she wouldn’t totally turn down an offer for company right then, so she relented and saddled up close to the river’s edge.

”But I’d love to see how you do it,” Eleuthera admitted, keeping close to her chest that she’d much rather not get in the water again. ”I mean, I’ve never known a man of your… size to be quick of reflex.” Another jest, as this clearly was not the case for him and his fishing abilities — nor was it the case for her, as he was easily the largest wolf she had ever seen in her few, travel-weary years. She knew nothing about this man, or wolves like him, and the mystery of it fascinated her.

At her first question he laughs once more. “That’s like saying why would I learn to hunt if my pack will just do it for me.” His laughter settles as she comes to settle next to him. Her new want to learn and allow him to teach makes him nod his head encouragingly.

“Good. And trust me, I’m not that fast.” He hums, widening his stance and looking down into the water. “So you can do it a few ways. The patient way where you stand and wait for the fish to come to you, or you can go to the fish. Both ways are effective, though the second is more effective with two participants.”

His voice is low and casual as he searches. Then faster than he thought, another fishes comes to languidly swim past his paws. “Look.” He exclaims quickly. “They’re not afraid. They think your paws are just a rock or some shit, I don’t know.” He jests with a rolling chuckle. “Either way they don’t know to be afraid of you unless you move.”

So he cranes his head down towards the flowing river and quickly snatches the fish out of it. An audible crack sound out as he crunches its mailable bones in his jaws. Then he throws it to the bank with a swing of his head. Staring at her now with beaming gold eyes he nods with a smile. “You try.” 

✹☾❂

 

There was more truth in Donovan’s first statement than she’’d like to admit. Her mothers barely hunted themselves, instead relying on the Seraphim to keep the caches stocked up. Then she had Séamus, who was all too happy to keep her happy and fed. It wasn’t that she couldn’t hunt — a perpetual nomad must know how to sustain oneself, after all — she just had a proclivity towards laziness and would gladly let others do the work, if it meant no harm to them. A lot of the times, wolves were happy to do it.

In a flash of sunlight off of a fish’s scales, the man caught another fish and threw it at her feet. Eleuthera stared at the strange, slippery, flipping thing and couldn’t believe that this random stranger was going to make her catch one, as if she wasn’t already humiliated enough. It was only when he invited her into the water to try her hand at it, did she realize she had been thoroughly distracted and did not internalize a word of his instructions.

Unable to stop herself, Eleuthera wade into the shallows of the water and, like a serpent upon the water, moved to the deeper river pocket where the slivers of silver congregated. The fish immediately scattered, darting away faster than she could follow, so she knew she must settle and wait for them to return. Eleuthera froze, statuesque, looking down her nose into the clear waters below.

— only, the fish did not return. ”Hmm,” she hummed in consternation, finally looking up at the man in all the glory of her failure. ”Looks like they’re more scared of me than they are of you.

He watches her weak attempt at catching fish with a blank yet comedic stare. Shaking his head to her with a smile on his maw when she looks up to him and stares that they’re more afraid of her then him. “Nonsense, you’re too fast. Not smart to jump into the school like that as well. Have to let them come to you.” 

Then waving her off with a paw he brushes off her last attempt and is willing to give her a new one. “Want me to try and lead them to you? If not I could catch another for us and we could settle down to eat?” His offer is friendly, more friendly than he expects of himself. Though he does admit to allowing women the ability to run a bit further with his patience than most. Though this she-wolf seems ready to allow someone else to do the job for her in no time. She gives up easily as well. She’s quite different from most wolves he’s met. He supposes not everyone can be the same.

✹☾❂

 

Okay, okay, okay. Eleuthera was inclined towards rest these days, but only because at times it was ungodly hot in the heat of summer and there was nothing to do but rest and retain one’s energy. This was not the current case. In reality, she was hungry, she wanted to be in the cool waters, she had plenty of spare time and she desired company. It was time to relent, to give in, because there was no reason not to.

Plus, Eleuthera could not neglect to notice, this stranger — whom she had so unceremoniously deterred from his intentions — was being more than lenient with her. In fact, he was being downright kind! He was willing to teach her a skill she didn’t have, giving her genuine instruction even when it was clear he saw through her puny attempt — perhaps a skill that would one day save her life. If she was her mother, she might have said the universe placed this man in her path to equip her with the tools that might alter her fate. Had she known that this man was the leader of those who were colonizing the mystified bleeding woods to the south, she would have believed this even more.

Eleuthera looked up at him, grateful for his persistence. Then she stared back at the fish, speaking into the surface of the water. “No, no — I got this.” and she was sure she would, if it was truly as easy at Donovan was saying. Eleuthera tried to channel the sway of the water in her limbs, and saw the plumes of lilac fur around her ankles as sea weed and lake moss. She felt the rushing through her veins not a warm lifeblood, but as cold fresh water pumping through her. She was one with the water — she was…

and alas, the fish did return! But Eleuthera did not know what to do with them as the congregated around her legs of seaweed. It seemed random chance that she would get one of these things between her jaws — so she left it up to instinct. The moment there was a flash of silver beneath her nose, she plunged herself into the water and thrashed her teeth wildly. Unsurprisingly, when she resurfaced, her jaws were empty and her expression was totally wild from the spontaneity of the whole thing. Such intuitive movement felt good, even if it didn’t result in a catch.

Eleuthera looked up at her tutor, wondering how he was going to critique that!

Eleuthera seems to find a calm and concentrate on it. Standing there  becoming one with the river. Her movement is still, as is Donovan’s, something that allows even the fish to relax and not see them as a threat. Soon enough the scaly beings are floating towards them, some coming to curiously nibble his own toes. 

His own eyes intentionally watch her expressions, trying to predict when she’ll move. Once she drops her head down into the water, teething looking for a fish, he is sure she’d come back up successfully. She doesn’t though, but female at least is able to get the technique down so he smirks confidently down to her. 

“Very good, dear.” He exclaims. “Once you’ve got that down all you need from here on out in practice. Cal yourself a natural.” He chuckles.

While he is a few meters away from her, the fish haven’t been frightened yet and he sees a rather big one pass by about a foot in front of him. Once more shooting his head into the cool river, he re-emerges with a ten inch long fish. The biggest one, yet still too small for his tastes.

Walking towards the shore he drops th fish close to the others. “Shall we eat?”

✹☾❂

 

Eleuthera was proud for her attempt at the sport, even if it did not yield a success. It seemed that the stranger (who was no longer such a stranger) was impressed too, as he smiled and cheered her on and called her dear. That last part, Eleuthera let roll of her shoulders with a shimmy and a shake, presumably from the chill of the water, but really because there was only one wolf she desired to call her such things, with an air of such familiarity. He was not here.

Eleuthera prepared and steadied herself for another attempt — but the better fisherman  decided to just get it out of the way and finish the job himself. He suggests they eat, and she acquiesced easily. “Yes, lets. she chimed, placing two front paws on the riverbank. She hauled herself up so that she could find purchase with a hind foot,  and then she was up! She circled around the pile of silverfish and selected one of the smaller morsels. This behemoth could probably devour the entire rest of the pile and still be hungry. 

“What’s your name?”" she inquired, looking up at him curiously. “I’m Eleuthera Shakti-Singing-Sunlight.”"

Glad that the smaller decides she wants to eat too, he pads off to the bank with their pile of fish. Splitting them up evenly, he flops his heavy body down like a big cat and snatches a fish up in his maw to balance it in his paws. The crunching that sounds, signals his first bite and the many after it as he continues to enjoy the fish.

Then the ashen female introduces herself finally and he meets her with golden hues. “Donovan Azura of the Abbey.” He hums over a mouthful of fish. “Where are you from? That’s an interesting last name.”

✹☾❂

 

She began to gnaw at the head of her still-flopping fish, listening to Donovan introduce himself. She didn’t know what The Abbey was, but if it had more wolves like him — now, that would be a sight to behold! Eleuthera almost grinned to herself at the thought, but managed to keep herself in check. When she was prompted, she swallowed whatever biteful of fresh, warm and pulsing fish was in her mouth, and told her story in few words.

“I was born in these mountains," she explained.  “but far to the south." She knew these lands well, and if he was living around here, then he likely knew of the surrounding mountains and their interesting landmarks too.  “I was away for a while, but… I came back." Away for too long, unfortunately, but she chose to leave her personal tale of woe out of this interaction. She was actually enjoying something for the first time, in a long time.

Eleuthera suddenly perked up, as if remembering something. “Say, do you know anything about the bleeding woods back there?" she inquired. She wasn’t sure why it was just now coming to her.

Donovan chows on his fish as well. Crunching it between terrifyingly large incisors he raises his brows at her statement. “So you’re native of these lands then.” He hums through a mouthful of fish. Then a chortle. “That makes one of us.”

Then her next question truly makes him laugh. It’s a smooth, deep noise that comes from the pit of his chest. “I know a bit about it. That’s where I’m rebuilding my pack.” With those words he swallows the rest of his remaining fish. Taking this chance to stand and lower his upper body into a arching bow, tail curling high over his hips, he grunts as a powerful stretch overcomes him. Muscles flex as he relaxes himself and takes his stand once more. “Perhaps you should visit sometime.” Is all he says absentmindedly yet mysteriously, beginning to sidle off in the direction of the forest that harbors the infamous bleeding trees.

✹☾❂

 

What an odd coincidence, that her tutor had been the owner of the bleeding woods all along! Eleuthera couldn’t help but smile and chuckle as she gave her fishy paws a feline-esque once over with her tongue. She had made quick work of her portion; as did he, she noticed, when he got up and gave a long stretch, as very catlike in his mannerisms.

Her gaze lingered heavy-handedly for a moment too long — how could it not? — but their interaction came to a close the same way it had started: abruptly, and with little prelude. Seemingly finished, he began to retreat back towards his shadowed forest. He gave a veiled invitation, perhaps to encourage her to follow him, but Eleuthera had been around the block a few times and was far too smart to follow a strange man home. She would visit one day to see those prolific and storied timbers, but not today.

With a chuff and a low rumble of gratitude, Eleuthera rose to all four lilac-pointed paw, gave her now-dry monochromatic pelt a shake, and lept away to enter the next scene of her story. 

I’ll let you either close up or archive! thank you for the thread :)