Ravensblood Forest Smart SOBs

@Reek @Reek @Reek 

Away. Again.

The fresh air was a wonderful, marvelous thing. He roamed without reason, save of course to feel the earth pass beneath his feet. There was something so wonderful about looking over one's shoulder and seeing the feet, yards, miles behind them. Distances well travelled. Scene changes. Filling in the dark spots on the mental map. The picture was slowly coming together. He'd know this land soon enough. 

He went this way. Northeast. He'd not yet ventured in that direction by this specific route. Silvertip Mountain was that way, he knew. He'd been approached by their alpha and almost recruited. That way? The scents shifted, revealing ownership by one of the few packs he'd not spent too much time pondering. He avoided it, narrowly, sticking to the thin strip of neutral territory as he slipped between their ranges. 

What he found was more forest. Mm. How he loved him some trees. They were why he'd turned away from the barren north and returned south. He had a weakness for woods. He knew them. Mostly. He knew the way the woodland creatures roamed between their holes. He understood their patterns and secrets. He knew how the trees would flesh out during the summer and sleep during the winter. He knew much, but there was something Tonravik had said that made him realize he did not know all. 

He wandered and pondered. 

Sorry for the wait!  I haven't had much time to post lately!

The days all blurred together into a happy haze and Reek was perfectly content. However, the lines between a happy amount of stability and incessant boredom had started to blur.  The outrider blood in Reek was beginning to boil by sticking in one place. Although, Reek had been the happiest he had been in his life, sticking around the rise and searching for herbs had become blasé.  Sure, he had short trip to Redhawk Caldera to break the monotony and his wife, Wynter, to spend time with, but something was still missing.  That sense of adventure that Reek held close to his heart had clawed it's way outward, and it was time to go do some sightseeing.

He set out in the morning before the sun rise toward the west and his old stomping grounds (if you could call them that) of Ankyra Sound.  However, he decided against entering his old territory, instead opting to seek out the unknown.  Reek continued to head south-west, past Horizon Ridge, and had reached the Ravensblood Forest by evening.  

The self-proclaimed King of the Plants felt most at home while in the forest, wandering aimlessly beneath the trees.  It always made him feel so small, but in way that gave him security.  The mountains were fine and good, but home was always beneath the trees and the brush.  Not rock or clay.  The homely wolf wandered through the forest without a goal in mind, just taking in the sight and the sounds of the birds chirping overhead. However, Reek was not alone, as the scent of another had wafted his way.  Deciding to investigate, the raggedy meandered in it's direction.

No worries! Thanks for joining!

Kero roamed without purpose. It was just something he did. Well, habit really. He'd been a lone wolf for far too long. Wandering felt like a small part of his soul. He did not wish to grow stale nor get lost beneath the bounds of his new home. Ugh. Home. Even the thought of the word felt foreign on his mind and much as he tried to shake it there was still a large part of him that itched at the thought of being so tied down.

Hence wandering. It was his escape. His chance to search for things unseen. He'd been asked about packs within the area and the best way to find them was to happen upon their borders. He'd slipped between two territories on his way here. One he recognized, the other new. Everything else was fair game. Kero moved, searching albeit with no purpose save to fill in the edges of his mental map on this vast terrain.

Movement in the brush suggested he was not alone. Kero stilled, casting his eyes through the shadowed forest to peer in the direction of the sound. Another step. Another shift of the earth beneath paws. Kero stalked forward and happened upon a wolf scraggly looking wolf that looked as though he'd seen better days. Except he was also moving. Cautiously, as if he too had spotted him. Alas, it seemed as though they'd found each other. 

A quick whiff of the air suggested this one had traveled far. Arid. North. Kero had passed that way not long ago. North. Wait a minute. "You're from the new pack," he said, recognizing the fresh scent from when he'd passed south of Nova Peak on his way towards Frostfire Ridge. "What is it?"

Reek didn't have to walk very far until he was faced with a russet wolf who had also wandered in his direction. Upon arrival he was quick to question the raggedy wolf about the new pack that had formed over on Redtail Rise, obviously smelling it on his pelt.  However, Reek wasn't entirely sure how much information to divulge.  With the pack being so new, any threat from the outside willing to push it's way in could be a problem... to which Reek didn't want to be to blame for.

"Redtail Rise,"  stated Reek dryly in a matter of fact tone as he nodded his head in confirmation.  A name and location could do little harm to the wellbeing of the pack, and that was all the information that Reek intended to give on the matter to the stranger.

However, after taking a quick whiff of the other male, Reek wondered about his current living situation.  He had the smell of a pack on him, yet it wasn't one that he currently recognized.  "How 'bout you?  You from the south? Inquired the raggedy wolf.

A name was paired with the area. It would do. It was more than he knew about the place otherwise and considering its distance, Kero wasn't going to push for more. With a pack that new, there wasn't much point in asking too many questions anyways. They'd define themselves with time.

For now, he was much more interested pursuing other matters, but that search would wait until after he answered this one's questions. It was only fair. Kero'd asked. He could return much the same favor. "Mm. As of recent, yes. I just came from that way, but I've been all over." He'd only joined the spine not too long ago that his mindset hadn't entirely switched over yet. He'd been a lone wolf for way too long. Wandering was all he felt like he knew.

His eyes wandered around this forest. It was filled with a large variety of plant life and animal life too. It was the green things that currently interested him, but his mind was pulling a blank. "Hey... you don't happen to remember leaf or anything that's good for a headache do you?" His mother used to give them something for their aches and pains, but he couldn't put his tongue on the name and his mind left the memory in a haze.

Super sorry for the wait!  Work's been crazy lately and I haven't  had much time for anything that wasn't plot centric.

Judging from the other wolf's response, he was a wanderer as well.  Like Reek, this stranger was a pack wolf who grew tired of the stiff monotony of standing still.  Whether his trip had been for exploration or a quick cure for boredom, Reek hadn't a clue.  But nevertheless, it didn't really matter... and the raggedy wolf wasn't looking to psycho-analyze anyone today.  Prying questions tended to be pointless, and above all boring.  The last thing Reek wanted to hear was this strangers life story.

However, before Reek could peel away and wander without attempting small-talk, the stranger had changed the subject to plants, which happened to be Reek's area of expertise. Though he wasn't particularly pompous, Reek liked to wave his natural knowledge around like a flag for all to see in typical show-off fashion. "Tanacetum parthenium," he began with a slight grin beginning to form. "Feverfew.  It should grow around here.  You can help me find some if you want.  Little white flowers and leaves smell like citrus; it's hard to miss."

Reek turned to put his nose to the ground in order to seek out the plant.  Without lifting his head, he addressed the stranger.  "Got a name?"  

Totally know how that goes. Thanks for the reply!

A random question and suddenly it seemed their completed conversation was revived anew. This wolf appeared to brighten at the subject of plants, as if it was something he was near and dear to his heart. A hobby perhaps? Ahh. He listened as the wolf so quickly rattled off a name of something Kero couldn't begin to wrap his head around. "I'm sorry, what?"

The wolf grinned and followed up with a more commonplace name. Feverfew. Okay. Good start. The wolf continued and answered all of his immediate questions. What did it look like? Where could he find it? This wolf was thorough and Kerosene greatly appreciated not having to pry the answers out of him.

"Sounds easy enough," he said, rolling his shoulders as he prepared to start off on this hunt. He lifted his nose to the air, scenting the wind for any kind of hint as to where to start. "Ground based plant or does it grow on trees or rocks or anything?" Environment should help a bit. This forest was filled with many things.

"Kero," he replied, glancing towards the wolf for a moment before sniffing and searching the ground. "Yourself?"

Keeping his nose pressed to the ground, Reek continued forward in his search. Feverfew was an extremely common weed. Shit, invasive even. In it's struggle to survive, feverfew tended to push the other plants around it to the limits and choke them out.  It conquered... well as far as plants go, but nevertheless it thrived at the expense of the others. The raggedy wolf considered that a curious trait that almost ran parallel to himself, a mooch who had scavenged and pulled himself up at the accomplishments of others.  Neat-o.

He turned his head back to Kero, who wore a befuddled expression.  However, after Reek gave the herb's common name the confusion was lost.  "Yeah, that—" commented Reek on the proper name of the plant, "—that's how I keep things straight."  He lightly tapped on the side of his head with one of his forepaws. "Ya'know... Filing and stuff. Er, my head's weird,"  he added in a mumble.

"It's ground based," he explained as he pressed his nose back to the ground.  "Grows in full sun or shade... anywhere really.  Just look for white flowers."  Reek paused for a moment when the stranger... well Karo, asked his name.  Briefly he contemplated giving the guy an alias, however, he didn't see any harm in giving his name.  "Name's Reek," he introduced flatly.

So that funny word was how this one kept things straight? Cool. Worked for him. Worked for Kero. There was a method to everyone else's madness and it wasn't his job to argue the mnemonic around what it took someone else to learn or remember. To each their own. As long as this one didn't expect Kero to remember that, they were golden. "Haha. Yeah. I'd hate to get lost in there. Minds are weird."

Casting that line of thought aside, Kero was back on the hunt for that plant with the white flowers and a citrusy smell. He searched, working both his eyes and his nose to try to spot the thing while the wolf described the plant further. Ground based. Kero turned his eyes lower. Grows just about anywhere. Heh. That narrowed it down.

Wait.

Kero switched directions, back peddling as if on a mission towards something he'd seen in passing earlier. He came upon a white plant matching the description the wolf had described. "This it?" he said, pointing at the weed on the ground.

He noted the wolf's name and glanced at him. Committing the fellow's name, face, and scent to memory.

Wrap this up? Hopefully next time, I won't keep you waiting. I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew thread-wise.

"You got that right," said Reek in agreement as he plodded on, continuing to sniff and scratch at the dirt in search of the plant's trademark scent. Minds were weird. Scary even. It definitely wasn't a place one would want to stick around in a metaphysical sense, especially Reek with his Wanka-esq tendencies. Perhaps that was why he traveled so much, occupation tended to drown out the incessant noise.

This it?. Reek turned to his new acquaintance who pointed at a weed. White button sized flowers. He leaned down to take a deep and somewhat exaggerated sniff. Bingo. Kero had found it while Reek walked right past... figures. "Yeah, thats it! It's all yours if you want it," he continued before ripping the plant out of the ground to place it at Kero's feet. "I've got a shit-ton of it back home, so I don't need it."

"Which reminds me," he added almost absently. "I should probably start heading back... you know, if I wanna get back before morning an' all." Turning away, Reek began to make the long trek back to Redtail Rise. "Take care," he shouted. "Till next time."

No worries! Thanks for the thread!

They searched and, like some kind of trophy worthy hunting dog, Kero found it and pointed it out. He raised a question, asking if it was the appropriate plant only to be pleasantly praised when the wolf confirmed that it was, in fact, the right plant. Perfect. He was shaping up to be much better at this sort of thing that he anticipated. Now he just had to eat it... or save it for someone else to consume if they ever had a dull ache.

Fortunately, this wolf was gonna let him have it. Kerosene nodded, thanking him with a few brief words as the wolf bid his adieu. "Safe travels," he spoke, bidding the wolf well as he ventured off through the shadows of the forest.

Kero used a paw to dig around the base of the plant, loosening it's foothold in the ground before he pulled it out of the earth and set his own course for him. He too had many miles of which to travel if he was going to make it back before morning.

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