Rising Sun Valley Alabaster Wood [Discovery Thread]

@Fang Sorry this took so damn long in coming. I wasn’t ignoring you, I swear! >.< Oh, also, what do you think of the title? I’m thinking that’s what I’ll call this forest. Here’s the info you need about it so you know how to describe what you’re looking at: http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=3344. Also, is it okay if I assume that Fang and Red went there together, and Red is talking to him because he’s already next to her? Also, sorry this is so short… >.<

They had arrived. It had taken an hour or so to go from the Sunspire to what Red had recently decided to call the Alabaster Wood, named for the white trunks of the aspen trees. They stood upon the mountain at its southern border, and Red smiled with satisfaction. She had discovered this place, and now she was taking Fang along with her to help flesh out the forest. She knew there was a lake in its center, and she loved to go and swim in it on particularly hot summer days. She looked at its canopy of green leaves, imagining in her mind the red-gold it would take on in the Fall, which she was sorely looking forward to.

With a happy wag of her tail, she looked over to Fang, and gave him a questioning look, to ask, “What do you think?”

@red it's fine, I didn't think you were ignoring me. The name seems fitting for the scene/location and I can work with this, also power playing your right back for the setup. (Pm me if you want me to change it though)

For the better part of an hour the walked in silence. Fang was still adapting to the way in which Red communicated. It wasn't problematic, or even remotely difficult to understand her so long as you were paying attention. He had kept almost within touching distance the majority of the travel, an innate sense of protecting the silent coy-wolf seemed to take over.

As they travelled Down the familiar rocky terrain of the sunspire the world around broken up by the vistas he had become used to, the summer sun did its job, almost too well as the familiar feeling of needing water started to become obvious. Suddenly the landscape changed, where a few tree's of unfamiliar design started to litter the landscape around them, the suddenly found themselves engulfed in a deepwood of whites, greens and browns.

Fang looked around, the canopy overhead, it's deep green cut asunder by the suns determined rays. The white trunks light brilliantly in contrast to the overhead foliage, and the ground on which they stood, littered with the decaying remains of leaves and few shrubs.

Stopping, he sniffed at the air, the unfamiliar scent, sweet and inviting left by the aspen grove was etched ever so slightly with the familiar earthy musk of nearby water.
"Wow." It was about the most articulate response he could muster as Red wagged alongside him.

He had no idea what to expect when the coy-wolf encouraged him to follow, but he wasn't about to let her run off alone. Now he stood in awe, relieved that he followed.

"This, this is something else right here." He offered a congratulatory nudge to her shoulder with his head before quickly moving amongst the nearby trees investigating as much as he could.

Sorry for taking so long to reply. I took an unintentional break from Wolf on Friday, but then I was gone from my house all day yesterday and didn’t get home till like 11pm. >.<

Red barked enthusiastically at Fang’s words, for she felt just as awed by this place as he did. She bounded farther ahead into the forest, determined to show him everything. Also, she was thirsty, and had noted his heavier-than-normal panting, which indicated to her that he was thirsty, as well. Luckily for the both of them, there was a lake smack-dab in the middle of the forest, and the coywolf couldn’t wait to get there today. Now she might finally have a splashing partner!

With a few quick barks that meant the equivalent of, “Follow me,” she was off. She knew, from prior experience, exactly where she was going, as she had scent-marked her trail to the lake many times to ensure a safe and easy path through the trees of ivory-and-black. And then she saw the water before her, and barked once again, turning around to wag her tail happily at Fang. “Look! Look!” her expression cried, her excitement bubbling over. She felt like a pup whispering a not-so-secret secret into a littermate’s ear, and giggling afterwards in glee.

And then she went to the lake, dipped her head, and took a long, long drink of clear and cool water. It wasn’t all that hot today, but the travel to the Alabaster Wood had sapped the moisture from her throat. She could hear it in the way she barked when the sound came out hoarsely. Her thirst satiated after some time, she flopped down onto the bank of the lake and rolled over onto her back, twisting back and forth, happily scratching an itch that had planted itself in the middle of her spine. Then she just lay there, front paws tucked neatly into her chest and back legs sprawled in opposite directions.

With a joyful gleam in her eye, she smiled at Fang.

A half-smile spread across his features as the coywolf paraded around like a hyperactive red blur, her carefree nature and obvious excitement at not only finding such a place, but showing it off, was leaving Fang with an elated feeling as well. It was little surprise that he was impressed, this place was a veritable Eden, an almost entirely unblemished paradise of wood. Red's barks drew his attention back as she bounded deeper into the woods, she seemed to harbour no concerns that others might be near by. Fang however was not so carefree, yet. He leapt into a trot after her, his ears flicking towards distant sounds, head held high listening for any unwelcome guests. Almost tripping he arrived to see his companion taking a drink from the lake, before indulging his own thirst he slowed his gait and took in the picture afforded to him. Fang had travelled a fair amount in his life, stumbling across more than a few picturesque landscapes, but the scene that unfolded before him so close to his new home was something else. The still water reflecting the days light, sparkling with hues of white and silver broken only by the image of the tree line painted across its surface. Quickly he remembered his thirst from the journey, moving to take a drink of his own. Lifting his muzzle from the water he spoke softly. I remember once passing through a forest like this, it was colder, nearing winter, the trees were on fire with golds, oranges, yellows and reds. He spoke, recalling the adventure and hoping to see the sight once more in this new haven. He turned to his companion as she rustled the ground alongside, a small laugh followed. The sight of her flailing on her back at an itch was almost comical and once more he found himself feeling more at ease. Obviously she's been here before and more than once, she clearly hasn't encountered anyone that'd cause harm, or she didn't care, he couldn't quite figure out which. He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner at her playful attitude before lowering his frame to the earth, his fore-legs out stretching to touch the edge of the crystal lake(as he now thought of it). Lifting his nose to sniff at the air, the natural scents seemed to only be invaded by himself and his companion, fading smells of others hardly noticeable. It's hard to believe no one else has been around here before. Speech thoughts

Okay so all I can say is holy sh*t I love your writing! ^_^ It is amazing. Yes. Yes it is. And as an aspiring author, I take great inspiration from it. Your descriptions are lovely and are better at describing a forest that I came up with than I am. Lol. Also, no need to match the length.

Red watched from her position on her back as Fang took a drink from the lake. He then spoke softly of a forest similar to this one, only in autumn, when the leaves were an explosion of warm and bright colors. She smiled, knowing that same sight well. It was something she looked forward to seeing for herself when the time came and fall entered the wood.

When Fang turned and laughed at her for rolling around like a fool to scratch at the itch she’d had, she laid her ears back on her head in embarrassment. But he said nothing about it and didn’t seem to care, and so her ears went straight once more. She twisted her head to watch as he lay down beside the lake, staring out across the water silently for a time. Then he turned to her again and said, “It’s hard to believe no one else has been around here before.”

She made a hmm’ing noise in her throat as she thought about that. He was right. It was a little strange, wasn’t it? Of course, most wolves were homebodies. Most wolves didn’t travel very far outside of their pack territory. Red probably wouldn’t, either, if she were purebred. But she wasn’t, and, although she didn’t remember her parents, instinct told her from the moment she awoke in the Teekon Wilds that she was half-coyote. That spurred her adventurous nature, and her want to become an Outrider. She said none of this out loud, not wanting to talk — as she very rarely did.

Instead she rolled onto her belly and padded up to Fang, sitting down beside him and looking out at the lake. It was beautiful, and reflected perfectly the day and its glories. She knew at night that it was also the perfect mirror for the stars. She looked down at Fang beside her, and suddenly an odd sensation went through her. She had the need to be part of a pack. But not the Sunspire. The wolves there were her family, yes, but she was slowly growing tired of being submissive. As time wore on, the urge to leave and start her own pack was lingering in the back of her mind, like the itch along her spine earlier. Only, for the life of her, she couldn’t scratch it.

Sighing, she lay down beside her new friend, placing her head on her paws and thinking hard.

Why thank you! I am really enjoying your words as well. This is honestly the first time in 3-4 years I've started writing/Rping again and I feel I'm pretty rusty so I appreciate it very much. But I digress, I can only pull off my better style of writing when I have a strong RP partner that gives me something to work with. So kudos to you too.

Fang was beginning to find the silence preferable, not that the wild fauna offered any true silence. The rustle of leaves as the wind kissed them gently, the whistles and calls of local birds hunting their insect prey and the occasional rustle or crash from deeper in the woods hinting at larger wildlife. However the genuine silence of unspoken words was pleasant, for the short term at least. The half-breed had his own list of instinctual patterns held in check, the worst showing themselves in his ability to simply move on. Companionship was often relative to the male. This was however broken and in direct conflict to the loyalty he now felt for a pack, if it will last is anyone's guess. The sigh that escaped from Red caused him to look on her with mild concern, he had never known her to talk in the (very brief) time he'd known her, only picking her name up from others. The sigh could have been anything though, he rolled his shoulders in a soft shrug to himself before giving her cheek a gentle nudge with his nose. Assuming the sigh was for some inward torment he decided to break the reverie. He stood and made a few awkward steps into the cool water. An unseen grimace spread over his features. Not too long ago I was over by some water that was. ..hot, steamy. A place over the way. He nodded, pointing with his muzzle in a general 'over yonder' direction. There was this female, Finley, convinced me the water was poisonous and I was dying An awkward laugh followed as he thought about the situation. A half-smile fitted his features as he turned towards Red, his tail flicking back and forth as he shuffled about in the water sending ripple ebbing out wards on their way. Think this water will kill us? His voice etched with humour as he beckoned her to enter the lake. He was still a little concerned, but even in jest, if this water was deadly, he wasn't going out alone. Speech thoughts

#^_^# Thank you! We should totally do more threads together! Oh, um also, don’t mind Red. She gets way attached to wolves waaay too quickly and is going to completely misconstrue the nuzzle Fang gave her. Respond how you will, I’m going to have fun regardless. Lol.

Red froze momentarily when Fang’s nose touched her cheek. Then he stood and began wading into the water. She lay there and watched him, unsure of the gesture he had just made. It had been a sign of friendship, or comfort, or any number of things. She couldn’t be sure. As he had said nothing about it afterwards, there was no way to confirm anything without asking. She opened her mouth tentatively, to speak, but he spoke before she had a chance to.

The coywolf smiled at the tale he told, however short. But when he turned to her and asked if the water was poisonous, she was confused. Half of her was stuck in the past moment, wanting to ask what the nuzzle had been for, and half of her wanted to laugh and shake her head that, No, of course of the water wasn’t poisonous. In the end, she went with a weird, nervous laugh and sort of shook her head while staring at him awkwardly.

What was this? She was nervous? Her only question to herself was, why? Perhaps she didn’t like being touched? No, that wasn’t it. Well, it kind of was, as other wolves touching her made her a little afraid. But this was a different kind of nervousness. This nervousness gave her butterflies in her stomach. She wanted… to nuzzle back. Yes. That’s what it was. She wanted to touch his face to hers again. But, then she wondered again: Why? Perhaps Fang… liked her?

She laughed aloud at that thought, and then realized he was still there and could hear her laughing quite clearly. Embarrassedly, she got to her feet, taking a few steps into the water, and then lunging into the lake ahead of him, desperate to get away from this weird feeling and all of its delicate meanings.

All of the threads! I'm down for that though, whenever for whatever you have in mind just hit me up. I'm also not terribly concerned, technically Fang's half Husky, not that he knows that, all of the attention on everyone everywhere!

The male visibly drooped, the half-smile vanished to an unreadable mask of serious. The nervous laugh, the awkward shake in the negative. Oh god, she doesn't seem so positive. Maybe it is dangerous. The mild panic ran through his mind his body telling him to leap out of the water. Then her laugh broke his panic, was this another joke? His golden eyes narrowed as he looked at Red, were they all out to play this joke? Did he have to threaten another wolf to holding their head underwater until the bubbles stopped? And all at once she was moving into the water, he watched her careful steps still with a slightly judgemental attitude. All thoughts evaporated when she leaped ahead of him, the water splashing about with the familiar crashing of small waves. He gave chase to the female with the elegance only afforded to himself in water, or a fish flailing on dry land. His own laugh echoing around as he 'gazelle hopped' through the water attempting to make as much water splash on the female as possible. Total disregard given to what creatures would call the lake home. The cool refreshing water was a welcome escape in the mid-day sun, Fang was not much of an aquatic creature, disliking the effort required to dry off. The lake surrounds afforded enough direct sunlight that it was of little concern, his thoughts mostly tangled up in enjoying the locale and his silent, but fun companion. Speech thoughts

Red’s awkwardness — and possible realization that she maybe sort of had a crush on Fang even though she barely knew him — was cut short as he splashed her. And kept splashing her. And wouldn’t stop splashing her. With a laugh and a determined gleam in her eye, she swam over to him and attempted to shove him down into the water with her front paws. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time. Then she swam away so he couldn’t get her. She turned back around to face him, barking a challenge. They were going to have a splash battle whether either of them wanted it or not.

The coywolf wasn’t sure where this silly, playful nature was coming from, other than the fact that she was only a yearling, and therefore still acted like a juvenile sometimes. She didn’t care. It made life more exciting, didn’t it? It was part of the reason she was so good at being an Outrider, besides the obvious reason, that is: Her coyote blood gave her a nomadic lifestyle — the need to move constantly. But her younger-aged tendencies also helped. They made it easy for her to move all the time, since she didn’t get tired as quickly as older wolves.

So, the idea of a splash fight was damn near heavenly to her. It was a chance to be a pup again. And, with this new life and all of its trials, that was something she didn’t get to do very often. She hoped Fang would play along…

It quickly became clear that Red was far more comfortable in water than Fang is. Despite the splashing she made her way to him and proceeded to quickly dunk the halfbreed. A flailing of limbs and an explosion of water as he righted himself as fast as he could, between the dripping water that was now over his entire body a low growl escaped followed by a snort as he did the best to clear the streaming water from his nose. A quick shake and his eyes locked onto the coy wolf as she barked a challenge. He moved towards the shoreline trying his best to keep stable footing underneath him as he returned the challenge. His playful posture shifted to one of slight defiance as he stood dripping wet in the lake. Playing or not he wasn't about to give her the upper hand by being in the deeper parts of the water body. He returned the barking challenge then proceeded turn his head away from her. For anyone the challenge was simple. You wouldn't even try coming at me. his tail gave a quick back and forth as he waited for the tell-tale sounds of her moving in for a charge in this splash-fight, of course if she stood too long he'd have to charge her. All the while he did his best not to laugh at the game. Somewhere in the back if his mind, amused that he never actually grew up. Speech thoughts

Start wrapping up soon? Sorry this is so short. >.<

Red wriggled happily at Fang’s bark of challenge, and nearly giggled when he confidently turned his head away from her. She decided to mess with him a little, so, instead of splashing him the way she knew he expected, she walked right past him out of the water, head held up into the air like a queen. Her body language jokingly said, “Hmph. I am too dignified to splash around with you.” Then she turned, when she was on the shore, and smiled at him, just to let him know that she was definitely joking.

She lay down on the grass beside the lake afterwards, waiting for the sun to dry off her fur. She looked up at the canopy of leaves above her, smiling in contentment. This place was wonderful, and the more she thought about it, the more she knew she definitely wanted to make a pack here. The forest was entirely self-sufficient, after all. She shook her head, bringing herself out of her thoughts so she wouldn’t end up ignoring Fang, whom she was now beginning to see as her best friend.

Without really thinking about it, she said very quietly, “It’s perfect, isn’t it?”

Much to his surprise Red strutted walked out of the water giving him the cold shoulder. The turn and smile she offered cleared any doubt that she was doing anything but playing. No sooner had she lowered herself to the grassy bank he was making his way out of the cool waters. He had the intent of getting one final splash on, by shaking himself over over the coy-wolf, but his plans were disregarded as she spoke. He had just stepped onto dry land when the words escaped, sounding barely more than a whisper. Fang almost stumbled, he had gotten used to her lack of speech. Golden eyes fixed on the rust hued female as he stood surprised. Quickly he tried to recover from his faux pa of shock and spoke. Very. Very perfect, again, well done on finding it. His words sounding with genuine pride. He continued moving toward her. Dropping his head as he approached in an attempt to "nuzzle" the top of her head. A congratulatory gesture in his mind. it might be a good idea to head back to the sunspire, I've got tasks I would like to attend. Besides, others might talk if we spend much more time alone He offered a coy smile at his last, jesting, he wasn't one to care for rumours anyway. With that he gestured towards the woods, unless she objected. Speech thoughts

Last post from me, and then I’ll request to get this archived. Thanks!

Red smiled when her words caused Fang to stumble, though that had definitely not been her intention. Her smile grew when he congratulated her on finding the forest, and she relished in his touch when he nuzzled her. She would need to spend more time with him. Of that, she was certain. He was very sweet and made her feel quite at ease — even enough to get her to speak, which was something she reserved only for those she truly trusted.

When he mentioned returning home, she sighed, knowing he was right, even though she didn’t want to return just yet. She stood, and then froze momentarily when he mentioned that others might start spreading rumors about them if they spent too much time alone. Could that be true? It would be truly irritating if it was. Then she shook it out of her thoughts. She couldn’t be bothered by what others thought of her. With a small smile to her friend, she turned and led the way back home, hoping she would return to the wood soon…

[Exit]