Larksong Grotto All I Need is Green

Maybe @Reek? Thought that maybe they could catch up!

Zaavier padded back up to the the brown bones of the grotto's Forest, a large fish dangling from his mouth. He was able to catch it... After hours of failing and trying again. He settled down against the trunk of a large oak, giving his tired bones a rest. From where he sat, he began to rip at the fish's flesh. It was salty, that's for sure. And it wasn't quite as appetizing as he figured it should have been. Still, the lanky brute was absolutely famished. 

He kept himself under control, taking small bites, and eating slowly, although his stomach screamed at him to eat faster. He hadn't had any food since the locusts came. He doubted anyone else had either. He promised himself that he would go back to the lake to catch more for his packmates, but for now, he needed to build up his own strength. He continued to nibble away at the carcass in silence, wondering what it would be like right now if the locusts hadn't come. he definitely wouldn't be as skinny, and everyone would probably be in a lot better mood. Zaavier's hips and rips were showing quite visible now, and the ridges along his spine were beginning to stick out. Hopefully, this little bit of food would help him gain back a little bit of weight.

Hope you don't mind me throwing Aspen in here. The two havent met yet :D

Aspen's stomach growled as she padded through the barren land in search of a sliver of hope. Something that said this land would recover. That there was signs of life besides the wolves of the grotto. She was growing thin and for an already slender figure that she had, you could see her ribs rippling under her coat. 

She had little energy but there was still chores that had to be done. Guarding the borders and searching for prey, despite the lack of any apparent food source as of late. 

Aspen hadn't been out long before she spotted an unfamiliar wolf out of the corner of her eye. This wolf though, appeared to be....eating. Eating what? Why had he been able to find food and yet not her. She narrowed her eyes slightly not so much angry as unimpressed or maybe even slightly jealous. 

She approached the male slowly a slight tilt to her head as if to say. Where did you get that and is it even edible. She had not once tried fish, she was just starting to get used to hunting fowl and yet this wolf was eating a fish. Wasn't that a cat thing? 

She said not a word but instead sat a reasonable distance from the wolf as if waiting for an answer to a question she never asked.

Don't mind at all! ;)

Zaavier looked up from his meal to make eye contact with a pretty young she-wolf strolling up to him. She wore a quizzical look as her eyes darted back and forth between him and the fish. It was obviously the fish that was confusing her. A smile spread upon his lips as he looked up at her. "What? You never seen a fish before?," he chuckled, then pushed the carcass toward her. "Here, have a bite." She did look rather skinny, and Zaavier didn't want to taunt her hungry belly as she watched him eat. 

His tail gently thumped upon the ground as his gaze travelled along her face. She was finely made... finally he snapped himself back. "I'm Zaavier," he chuffed. "What should I call you?" The lanky boy didn't budge from his reclined position but instead leaned back so he could look up at her better. His tongue lolled from his mouth as he once more pushed the fish over to her with his paw. Eating so little had shrunken his appetite and he could only eat so much before feeling full. Already, he felt like he might explode.

Aspen's limit was birds aha. Poor girl.

Aspen watched as the wolf chuckled at her asking had she never seen a fish before. I have seen a fish before just didn't think they were edible. She answered silently in her mind. She was surprised the stranger offered her some pushing the fish towards her. She nosed at it, it smelled funny. She screwed up her face for a minute. 

She looked back up at him as he introduced himself as Zaavier. "The name's Aspen," she said with a slight smile her gaze returning to the fish as he pushed it further towards her. She was reluctant but she took a small bite and swallowed it.

It tasted salty....and not at all appetizing. Before she could think to much more about it her stomach lurched. Nope. Don't like it. Not at all. She thought to herself as she made probably several weird faces and let out a small growl. How could this wolf stand such a vile thing. Was this some sort of cruel joke. 

"What the hell?!?" she said visibly and audibly pissed tail swaying behind her in annoyance. "That's not food. Thats....thats..." she didn't even have the words to describe what the fish resembled but it certainly wasn't food.

Her eyes narrowed "How can you even eat that?" she muttered nosing the fish back towards him. She was not neccessarily annoyed at the wolf but the fact that there hadn't been food in weeks and it was bad enough they had to resort to "that". Unfortunately. It probably didn't seem that way to Zaavier.

Charley was in one of his moods, stalking around the grotto like it was him against the world. It seemed these pissy moods were frequent as Emory and Aspen were away. The silvery female, especially, seemed to bring a peace about him that nobody else ever had. He'd recently become way too fuckin  slightly obsessed with her, but not in a creepy way or anything. Lately though, things he'd been doing were in efforts for her, and even his thoughts usually wandered off to her. The ragged male had taken it upon himself to protect her and to begin courting the younger female.
So imagine his reaction when he heard her call, out, cursing at someone. At once, his wide paws thundered towards her in a gallop. He came into view just past the ending of her words, and all he noticed was her irritation and displeased stance. While he wished to ask no questions, she skidded to a halt at her flank, hackles raised and growling low.
     "What happened?"
The fish scraps brought a confused twist to his angered black mask, and his carribean eyes scanned over Aspens body for anything to prove she'd been hurt.

Zaavier smirked and pulled the rest of the fish over to him, tail thumping against the ground once again -- this time with amusement. He watched her faces begin to die down as the taste disappeared. "No worries," He chuffed. "I don't exacty like it either... too salty! But I've forced myself to eat them, we need the strength. If you want more, ask me." He didnt suspect her to want more so he took another bite, swallowing it down. Soon, another male loped up to the two, his frantic eyes looking over Aspen as if he were expecting her to be hurt. Zaavier looked up at the brute, not bothering to move from his position. 

"Hey, chill. Aspen here just tried something she didn't like." He shot Aspen a knowing smile full of amusement before looking back to the masked male. He twitched his rather large ears before finally shifting his weight to his hind end, hoisting his front end up to a sitting position. "I'm Zaavier. Who're you?" His copper eyes flickered inbetween Aspen and the stranger before finally resting on the new arrival. Before the male could answer, Zaavier blurted out more words. "Hey, you're one of the twins aren't you?" 

Strength or not there was no way Aspen would be eating any more fish anytime soon. She shook her head when zaavier stated that if she wanted anymore all she had to do was ask. "No way," she grumbled. 

Then out of nowhere she heard a low growl from her side. It was Charley. I guess he must have heard all the commotion. Yet why was he here. She couldn't deny she wasn't glad to see him though. Anytime he was around things were always good. "I'm fine," she said with a soft tone and gave him a reassuring nudge. He cared about her. She had picked up on it slightly before but he was starting to protect her more and Aspen loved it.

 "Or at least I will be once I can forget the tase of that vile thing," she said indicating with her nose that she was referring to the fish she had just eaten. She watched hoping that Charley would calm down because in reality this wolf had done nothing but try to feed her.

Sorry Charley's such an asshole. xD

Zaavier's casual attidude pissed him off at first, but his lip had only started to twitch up when Asper cut in. Again, she had his full attention. Talk of the fish put an even further confused look on his face, and he sniffed at it. Salty, yes, but Charley rather liked the taste. 
        "Is it bad or something?"
He leaned his head towards her, giving her a curious sniff and, after, gently rubbed his face against her. Mostly in affection, of course, but not so deep down it gave him a strong feeling of pride when she smelled just a LITTLE bit more like him. It then clicked that the coyote-looking male asked a question, referring to him as one of the twins.
                   "Yes, I'm Charley Pryor, an old friend of Reeks."

Zaavier smirked as the boy -- Charley -- began to finally relax. He seemed to be fine with the smell and perhaps the taste of the fish so he pushed it towards him. "Well Charley, you're welcome to some of this if you'd like." His ears were pricked forward in interest, wondering if he'd finally found another companion who didn't completely despise the revolting flavor. "You can have all of it for that matter -- if you want it." 

Zaavier liked this male. He was protective and seemlingly chill for the most part. He wondered if Aspen and Charley were a thing. He hadn't been around long enough to know for sure, but the two did seem pretty close. He grinned to himself at the thought.

Oh Zaavier... XD

Aspen glanced at Charley for a moment as he apparently couldn't see the problem here. Wait a minute.....oh god please don't tell me he likes fish too. She groaned silently at the thought. She glanced between the two wolves, well at least the two had soemthing in common.

"Dont tell me you actually like fish Charley..." she asked with a slight tilt to her head. "It's disgusting I don't know how you guys can stand it," she frowned sitting down and watching as Zaavier offered Charley the remainder of the fish.

Aspen gave a gentle shake of her head in dissaproval but hiding a teasing smile. "I think the lack of food must have made you guys crazy enough to eat something that salty," she mused. Well it certainly wasn't her meal of choice but a wolf has gotta do what a wolf has gotta do right? Although Aspen was very sure that was the first and last time she would go near anything fish like.

Normally, Zaavier's lack of reaction probably would have pissed off the male, but today it amused him. Aspen seemed to be a good peace maker for his overbearing demeanor, even without the fact that her presense calmed him. The offer of food, too, appeased the beast, and he didn't hesitate to crouch and finish off what was left of the creature in swift bites. Aspen scolded lightly, but he could hear the laugh behind her tone.
        "Come on angel, its not THAT bad. A little salt adds flavor! I think YOU'RE the crazy one."
Finishing just after his words, he turned once again to the silvery female, this time to taunt her with the smell. A hearty laugh escaped his chest, aggression forgotten with the angry stabs at his belly pushed off even a bit. 
Carribean eyes turned back to the dusty male, and a smirk lit up te ragged man's face. 
                    "Thanks for the fish, I owe you one."

Zaavier chuckled as Aspen once again mused on about how crazy the two boys were. A crooked smile spread across his charming features. "Sweetheart, I'm always crazy." He replied with a mischievous look flaring behind his eyes. Charley told Zaavier that he owed him and the rusty boy shook his head with a care free attitude. 

"Nah, you're fine. Just helping out my pack members right?" He barked as his tail thumped against the earth. These two were fine wolves, and from what he took from their brief interactions, they were easy to get along with. He sunk back to the ground with a long moan of exhaustion. He hadn't done much today besides catching that fish, but his paws ached and his muscles tingled. It probably had to do with the lack of food. Low food levels were bad news.

Aspen swatted at Charley playfully a couple of times as he made a point of rubbing in the fish scent after he too had eaten the fish. "It is THAT bad Charley, I hate fish," she said while laughing. "No amount of convincing is going to get me to eat more of those," she mused. 

Her gaze shifted to Zaavier who without a doubt admitted he was in fact crazy and the way he said it just made her laugh harder. "Well at least one of you will admit it," she teased sarcastically glancing back at Charley. "For future referance Charley, if you or anyone else ever brings me a fish they better have a death wish," she joked laying down her ribs visible through her fur. She was hungry but no amount of hunger would bring her any closer to eating fish but the land better recover, and fast.

A ripple of aggravation pulsed through Charley's muscles, tensing up for a brief moment at the pet name that spilled from Zaaviers mouth, but it went uncommented on for the simple fact of his tone: it didn't sound like one that was flirting, but nonetheless did the colored male pressed closer to the complaining Aspen.
"Right, make me work all the harder to look for food for you!"
Chuckling again, irritation forgotten, he went back to joking and having fun with his packmates. He placed himself behind the silvery woman, sprawling out behind her without quite touching.
"Ill be sure to bring you all the fish in the lake then, since you love them so much."
Charley gave a smile and nod to the other male, but fully intended on repaying him somehow in the future.

A smirk danced upon his features as his eyes obviously flickered back and forth between the two. There was definitely some sort of affection going on. The telltale signs radiating off of Charley gave him another hint too. The way he tensed up after Zaavier let the pet name slip, how he always wanted to be closer to her and take responsibility for her needs. He was smitten!

Now, Zaavier might be selfless, but not all the time. Now, he needed to do something to help himself. So, for his very own sake, he blurted out something that would turn the attention back to him. "So Charley, I know you have a twin sister. Where's she?"

Aspen rolled her eyes at Charley's sarcastic comment. "Nobody's forcing you to hunt for me. Last time i checked I have four functioning paws," she mused she didn't know Zaavier that well and so this situation was slightly awkward because really the only wolf she was talking and interacrting with right now was Charley. 

Before she had chance to come up with anything to say though Charley mentioned bringing her all the fish in the lake and Aspen rolled over and swatted at him a few times before turning back to face Zaavier. "So Zaavier, How long have you been in the grotto?" she asked tilting her head questioningly.

Charley, laughing, turned his face from her smacks and silvery pelt, but his eyes darkened at mention of his sister. Emory? She'd abandoned him, as far as he knew. Up and left after the locusts. 
             "Don't know. She ran off somewhere around the locust storm and never came back."
His laughter stopped, and he put his head down on his paws as Aspen, thankfully, turned the attention away from him. Why had his twin left him here, alone? They'd never in their lives been separated more than a few hours, but it'd been so long now. Was she coming back? Had she found a mate, or something?

Zaavier suddenly felt guilty for asking the question. The answer Charley had given him was quite depressing. "Hey, sorry 'bout that. At least you have Aspen... and me," he added after a pause, throwing a teasing smile his way. He honestly didn't care much for friends, he just wanted to comfort the male in the best way he could, and Zaavier wasn't very good at those kinds of things. 

Then, the silver she-wolf asked him a question, pulling the attention away from the other male. "I uh... lets see. A month? Maybe?" He chuckled a half-hearted laugh. He wasn't good at keeping track of things either... unless it was herbs. He's good at keeping track of herbs.

Aspen gave a sympathetic glance quite quickly as Zaavier brought up Emory to Charley. Aspen had a feeling that may be a touchy subject seeming as Aspen had not yet met Emory and had not smelled a scent similar to Charley's in a little while. Then Charley explained she had actually disappeared after the whole locust situation and Aspen felt her heart cringe.  She had never been close with her brothers but she could imagine what it would feel like if her brothers had actually cared about her.

Aspen's gaze returned to Zaavier as he explained he had been at the grotto about a month now. To be honest Aspen had lost track of time as well her mind had been so distracted lately with Charley and her work that she stopped counting. Aspen chuckled as well "I'm no good with time lately, so much other stuff to worry or think about," she mused.

I have no idea where to take this now :P I'm baaaccckk though :P :D I missed this place so much. I finished school yesterday so i should be able to post alot more :D

It was hard on him so far, yes, to lose his twin sister. Emory had been the only one never to abandon him, to have gotten through every wall. Aspen was doing a good job filling the void, however, and that made it easier on his fragile soul. The patched male listened to Zaavier's conversation with Aspen, his eyes going between them with their words, but his thoughts were elsewhere.  He stayed silent and ever-watching.

Awful post T_T

Zaavier nodded and cast his stare to the quiet Charley Pryor. He tilted his head, fearing he had brought unsettling momories to his friend's mind. "How 'bout you Charley?" He asked, trying to shake Charley's brain from memories of Emory. "How long have you been in Larksong?" He wagged his tail and smiled as best he could.

Super short post... again! x.x

Gosh guys thanks for alot of things to work with here *chuckles* jkjk :P

Aspen watched as Zaavier seemed to try and attempt to drag Charley back into their conversation although she wasn't sure what the chances were of it actually working. It seemed Charley was thinking about a lot right now. Aspen sorta found herself wishing she could help somehow. 

She  lay down and tucked her tail near his  trying to comfort him nosing at him gently. "You alright Charley?" she said softly. Before exchanging glances between Zaavier and Charley. hoping someone would say something or they would end up parting ways. Which she supposed wouldnt be all that bad as she hoped to find something a bit better to eat because after the fish earlier she was hungrier than ever. Adding another reason to the long list of reasons she shouldnt have eaten that fish.

Charley was in fact roused by Zaavier's words, and with a flick of his ear the brute answered. Aspen's proximity helped, and she asked if he was okay, but he only gave her a shake of his head.
               "Not long at all, though I can't give you a solid number. Just a few days before the storm, I suppose."
At the end of his words, Charley stood and shook out his coat, looking at each for a moment in silence.
                        "I think Im gonna head off to my den."
With a last friendly nod to both, the Pryor turned and made his leave, sighing and off in his own thoughts again already.

your very welcome shannon! :D

Zaavier felt guilty that it was all his fault that the boy left, but he couldn't feel that way for too long. He had stuff to and besides, it was Charley's own decision to leave. He nodded and uttered a soft goodbye to the multi-colored man as he left, turning back to Aspen. "Well, I ought to get on my way. See you later Aspen," he stood up and gave her a lengthy bow before padding away into the forest, tail swaying as he walked.