twisted and terrified

Set in Bramblepoint and dated Jul 19th (aftermath)

He had retired early that evening along the lake shore, but was awoken by the storm as furious winds howled and the skies broke open, unleashing a torrent of rain so swift and hard it struck like hundreds of small stone. Lightning splintered the dark of the night, and the roar of thunder was so profound he felt it in his chest.

He hurried to find shelter in the forest that neighbored the lake, unaware of the behavior of lightning, of its affinity for tall objects like trees. Fortunately, it spared the blue-nosed wolf its wrath this night. The tornado, however, did not. Like a demon it snarled, tearing past as Luke cowered fearfully amongst the roots of an old pine. His ears were pinned to his skull, dampening the sounds of trees snapping around him, but a terrifying crack close to him made him lift his head.

He watched with horror as another tree, snapped off its trunk, came barelling toward him. He was too slow in his effort to dodge. He was struck down, one limb knocking him unconscious with a blow to the head, the rest trapping him beneath them. Unbeknownst to him, the fallen spruce was his savior - sparing him from being ripped from the ground and thrown by the savage twister. He awoke the next morning in the calm, the quiet, still shrouded by the limbs of the evergreen.

Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself free. Dazed and thirsty, he limped toward the lake, favoring his right foreleg. One side of his face was streaked with the blood from a gash on his forehead, and his entire body ached, his skin bruised beneath his coat. But he was alive, though he began to doubt that fact as he stopped to stare slack-jawed at all the fish scattered around him.

Scratch's ears twitched as he walked through the wreckage of a forest. The scrawny fox remained alert, not knowing what would happen if he ran into a survivor of the storm. He saw it ravage through the Teekon Wilds while entering the territory, somehow avoiding the chaos, but now had to deal with the aftermath. All the dead fish laying around messed with his nose, leaving him to rely on his ears and his eyes. He hoped that he didn't run into another bird, though the wreckage gave him sufficient cover. He turned his attention to the lake, or what was left of it, remaining within the wreckage. It was then that he spotted an injured wolf.

Under normal circumstances, the white wolf would have been tickled pink to see a buffet of fish spread across the land. But then, normal circumstances did not tend to lead to such a display. He took a step and staggered, promptly sitting down as a throb of pain in his head made him wince. He was soaked to his bones, and shivered with a chill that came with it, still too shocked to really think clearly and still trying to get his bearings. Slowly, his gaze roamed the devastation. He had heard of vicious, spiraling winds but had never encountered them before, and only saw their war paths long after they were gone, when bright green shoots of new growth had begun to take over.

Suddenly, he was struck by panic and jumped to his feet, swaying as dizziness threatened to collapse him. Were his companions safe? Lasher, Harlyn, Saena? He whipped his head around, as if he expected to be able to see them. It was then he saw the red fur of a fox, and he paused to stare it, dumbfounded in his confused and panicked state.

The wolf in question had blood coming from his head and was limping, meaning he wouldn't be too much of a threat. Scratch knew that even in his starved form, he could definitely outrun a wolf that injured. He moved his head into view as he saw the wolf stagger and sit down. It's likely his foot he reasoned, becoming even more careless to jump onto a tree trunk bordering the open area of the lake. With his better eye, he saw that the wolf has an unusual blue nose. He glanced around, unsure if his friends were around, before returning to the wolf as he sprung back up on his feet. It was then that the wolf turned to him and stared at him.

Startled to the attention, Scratch tried to scramble away and lost his footing on the tree trunk he was standing on. All four of his paws slipped off and he landed on his stomach, knocking the wind out of his system. As he struggled up, he fell forward and face-planted into a dead fish. As he recovered, he looked up to see the wolf was still looking at him. He felt himself start to freeze up to the wolf's stare. Whether it was due to him being prey or that he was naturally shy didn't matter, as he was now in the open. It took him a few moments to compose himself (as best as he could anyways) to say Hi...

The fox startled, slipping off his log and then face-planting into a dead fish as he tried to recover from the first mishap. The humor in this display was enough to intercept Luke's runaway mind, and for a moment his mind was calm as he continued staring. Then, a faint curl appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he took a deep breath. "Seems we're both having a good morning," he commented with a weak chuckle. He murmured okay to himself beneath his breath, and looked around once more.

In the next few moments he was able to ground himself. He still felt the icy lance of fear in his heart, worried for his companions, but his paws no longer threatened to carry him off in panic. He would go to them, but first he needed to tend to himself so that he was well enough to do so. He stepped to the edge of the lake and drank long and deep, then sat down as he turned to look at the fox again.

"Have you ever seen one of those before?" he asked.

The fox found himself loosen up as the wolf started to talk to him. As he didn't jump on him right away, Scratch took in a deep breath to steady his nerves.

Aye he begun, looking down and biting his lip as he recalled the events It was a year ago. Not the same thing, but something similar. He glanced back up before continuing, making sure the wolf wasn't coming. I lived in this town. Around a year ago, it flooded and took a lot of the town away, but what was left looked like this. I saw what happened from a distance, so I think it's the same kind of problem, but I noticed a wind thing, and then the lake here... he trailed off, starting to freeze up again. This was likely the first living thing that he came across that didn't either tear at him nor run away. That was a nice change, causing him to grin.

His expression returned to its neutral self, and he glanced around the lake, seeing all the fish. If you want me to, I can help you out. It won't be much, as I don't know the area, but I can help. But first, are you hungry? He tried to grin reassuringly, though it came through more awkward than he wished.

He half-listened, not because he had no interest in the answer but because his head was still cloudy and pained him. His gaze drifted from the fox to what little of his reflection he could make out in the disturbed waters in what remained of the lake. He could see the dark of blood that colored one side of his face and lifted his good leg as if to brush it off, wincing as he grazed the wound from which the blood seeped.

The fox offered help as Luke turned to nose around his injured leg. It was sore, but unbroken. It would heal on its own in time, so long as he did not stress it too badly. Are you hungry? the smaller mammal asked next. "Ah," he began, glancing around at the spread of fish. Short of still flopping around the fish were as fresh as fresh got. Before them was a banquet, but sadly, if he was hungry it was overshadowed by concern for his companions and by pain.

"Not really," he answered, his shoulders slumping with a sigh. "I need to go check on my friends. I don't suppose..." he trailed off, eyes meeting the fox as he debated asking for the help he needed. "Er... do you think you could..." he canted his head, shuffling a bit. "Help me clean up a bit?" Luke quirked a small smile, knowing all too well that he was asking to borrow the tongue of a creature wolves did not commonly associate with, and with a stranger at that.

The fox hesitantly walked towards the wolf. You idiot! He stopped in his tracks from the voice, allowing himself to think more clearly. Putting aside the fact he placed himself in close quarters with the action, he was never used to doing such. The traveling fox he was, he had little time to actually clean up while on the watch for predators. He usually only had enough time to find a safe spot before collapsing from exhaustion. Aside from that, it was another animal asking for it, one he would rather much avoid. Then again, why would he be asking it? He sighed to myself. What the hell, what do you have to lose. Sure he started, feeling his instincts tug at him. If he was nice to this one wolf, maybe he can get him out of a bind one of these days.

He was an affectionate, physical creature and would have no qualms about lending his tongue to cleanse a stranger's face, but he knew few others who shared his level of comfort in such things and would not be offended if the fox refused. To his delight, the smaller canine did not. He settled to his stomach so that he was easier to reach, and settled in as the fox began. Luke knew it would take some time and repeated sessions to restore the pristine white of his coat, and did not ask nor expect that of the fox. If the majority of the blood could be removed, it would help his wound and help him to feel better.

"I'm Luke," he offered. "I really appreciate the help. If you ever need a paw and you see me around, don't hesitate to ask." Weakly, his tail pat the ground in a slow wag.

Call me Scratch, he replied before continuing. Unlike the wolves he had seen on his travels, this one seemed to be a lot more...easygoing than the others he had seen. He quickly thought if all wolves were like Luke, or more diverse. It was true that the wolves he ran into before talked to him a bit (but more of taunting than actual conversing), but fighting occurred shortly afterward. He started to wonder of how this place would be like. With the mess the land has been in, he might be able to look around before order can be replaced and enemies could be organized against him.

All done Scratch announced. Or at least as good as I can get it to. Most of the blood's gone, but your fur's still stained. Are you all good?  While awaiting for an answer, Scratch made a grim smile. It was more of a reflex due to all he has been through when something didn't go utterly wrong. Hopefully, his luck will be better in this new place.

Unlike some wolves, Luke did not make enemies of other predators unless he had to (almost never). Foxes in particular he seldom had an issue with. They were master rodent and rabbit hunters, and rarely tried to steal prey from the wolves. Most barely made their presence known.

His tail wagged more enthusiastically as Scratch announced he had finished. He felt immensely better. The staining on his fur did not bother him, it would be washed away with cold water and time. "Thank you. That's perfect." he smiled appreciably. He wanted to rise to his feet, to be on his way to check on his companions, but he felt weak and dizzy still and so remained as he was for the time being.

"I'll give you a tip," he said, wanting to thank the fox somehow for his treatment. "If you take these fish, and dry them in the sun - lay them out on a rock or somewhere dry, they'll keep better in a caches." There was a bounty strewn about them. It was an ideal opportunity to stock up on food and stave off hunger for many weeks, perhaps months, to come. "They'll be chewy, but delicious."

Thanks for the advice, Scratch thanked while surveying the surrounding area. He instinctively licked his lips at the thought. It was a shame he had nowhere to store the fish, at least for now, but maybe he can settle down in a nearby forest. As for the fish, he was still rather hungry from his travels. He'll eat some later while the wolf was gone. He didn't want to show any disrespect, especially to the first friendly face he had seen in a while. He looked down a bit sheepishly, thinking of what to do next.

Do you need any more help? As well, do you know about a good place to live? Somewhere that's not too...violent?

"No, I think I'll be ok," he said with a small smile. There was little else the fox could do for him. He had to check on his companions, and he knew his battered body would simply need time to mend itself. Even the gash on his head, so long as it did not become infected.

Before he could answer the fox's next question, he had to take a moment to think. He was not entirely sure what was meant by a place that was not too violent, but he assumed the small canine simply wanted a quiet place to live where he would not be bothered by wolves or other predators. Though the wolves claimed territories for their homes, they also wandered the neutral areas, and so Luke was not sure what to suggest.

"Hmm," he hummed. Then it hit him. "Oh! In the mountains, to the northeast of here, there's a valley. It's forested with a nice stream in it. It seemed like a quiet, sheltered place to me. Maybe there?" Northstar Vale. The white wolf did not know the name, but he had been there, and thought it a lovely place.

Scratch took note of what Luke said, looking towards the formation in the distance. Seeing how kind the wolf has been, he found it reasonable to check out the place. He turned back to Luke. He remembered the wolf was looking for his friends, and didn't want to keep him. He had enough experience of his own to know anxious the wolf must be to find his friends Thanks for the information. I'm going to stay here and eat some of the fish before setting off. A growl coming from his stomach confirmed his hunger. He wanted to help more, but there's just so much he could do. After all, he was one fox.

Last post for me, thanks for the thread!

Luke bobbed his head. "Take care of yourself," the white wolf said. "Thank you again." He rose to his paws, and with a courteous dip of his head, started to make his way around the lake. It movement was slow, pained. It would take him far longer than normal to reach the other side of the lake, and when he did, he would find a comfortable spot to rest and lay back down, his body making it clear to him that he was not yet able to journey to the plateau.

No problem. Thanks for having me.

Good luck, Scratch said in farewell, seeing the wolf leave. With him gone, he was alone again, but feeling a bit better. He hoped that there was several of his kind populating these wilds, but knew that was likely far from the truth. Still, there was hope. His thoughts were interrupted with another grumble coming from his stomach. Oh right, I'm hungry. Gazing at the fish around him, he licked his lips. They weren't going to eat themselves.