Moonspear Find me where the wild things are

@Dirge

She could feel the temperatures beginning to rise; it was still cold, but she could tell it wasn't as cold as it had been at the last full moon. She needed to check her plants again today and dispose of whatever was no longer viable, but the promise of spring made her too restless to be cooped up in her den all day. So instead she took to exploring the woods at the base of the mountain, knowing it would at least be warmer there. 

The forest was actually one of her favorite places here, even now when its colors were muted by the cold season. She often spent time here, and today she padded along one of her familiar paths, checking the still-hibernating plants and letting her thoughts drift to one thing or another. Mostly, she wondered what spring would be like on the mountain. She always imagined lots of pretty colored-flowers and bright greens mixing with the dark green of the fir trees that held their leaves even in the coldest part of the winter. Whatever grew here in the spring, Speedy was sure she would find plenty of plant life to keep her happily occupied.

When it came to exploration, he was far from inexperienced. Moonspear's heights did offer their share of excellent vantage points, but it was often that Dirge clung to the ranges and realms where the forest still clung tightly to the earth. It was a creature comfort as much as it was a double-edged sword; a throwback to a home he truly despised and yet unconsciously sought the familiarity of in such places as these.

He too was thankful that winter would come to pass. It was in his blood to meander and lust after some unseen and unsought landmark, to perhaps find whatever it was that he thought would fill a jigsaw cut hole in him. Of course he had never found such things, but he also did not look at them on the grand scale of what was, only what could be.

Deep in damp firs whose boughs reached head to toe and then some, he longed for the snow to melt swift, for the earth to become more favorable for his ranging. Though he had his time away from the peak, he desired to extend his ventures and perhaps quench the fires of uncomfortable wants that lingered. He had considered for a spell to persue Hydra and harass her yet again, but an earlier well-meaning scuffle had been enough of a rebuke to set his sights elsewhere.

And elsewhere happened to be someone he was not at all familiar with.

A passing face no doubt—he was certain he had seen her along the trails before, but the way she shuffled the snow about had caught his attention as much as her pelage. He was used to the wintry, shadowy shades that comprised much of the pack's makeup much like the monolith that rose behind them; she was a punch of color, a sight for sore eyes, and he trailed in her wake to draw his muzzle over the snowfall she had disturbed and draw in subtle traces.

"Bit early to be perusing these wares, I'd imagine," he said as he draw his attention to her again. Curtailing the distance followed, and he offered an amiable wave of his tail. "I don't believe we've formally met, have we?"

this got away from me whoops, by all means just gloss over it if you must

no! I love it!

His words halted her steps, taking her a little by surprise. She covered it quickly with a friendly smile as she turned to her packmate. Probably, she answered first. But it helps to familiarize myself with the forest now before spring changes it, she continued with a shrug of her small shoulders. She was facing him now, smile still painted on her face as she answered his next question. Nope. We haven't, she said next, a few wags of her tail accompanying her words. I'm Speedy, she supplied, dipping her head some. She recognized his scent from around the territory, but she had yet to meet the wolf that belonged to it. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like, she offered amiably. She always loved company, especially when it came from a packmate.

"I'm Dirge," he rejoined, and join her he would. Something to break up the monotony would serve him well, and perhaps take his mind off of other pressing concerns. He fell in alongside her after that, looking over the meager plants she had uncovered. Familiarizing oneself with what grew seemed a strange task to take to learn a territory, but he was brighter than that—there was a purpose in it.

He ventured a guess: "You must fancy yourself as a healer then?" Though truth be told, he hadn't seen very many of those out in the wild, so to speak. Moonspear was fortunate enough to have one they could rely on, but he didn't push ahead wibh his assumptions to ask if she had the pleasure of meeting Lyra just yet. For all he knew, she could have had tastes that ran in the opposite direction, and simply carried a nose that would teach them what to avoid.

well that's good because i just made you wait ages for this burnin' pile of trash :'(

No worries! and it is not trash!

She dipped her head when he introduced himself. Nice to officially meet you, she replied, smile widening. She began to move again, his presence next to her his answer to her invitation. She stopped and used her front paw to move some more snow around, sniffing the ground beneath it but not finding anything interesting there. She looked back to him at his question, resuming her walking as she answered: Yep. At least I try to be. She was newer to the trade and was under no assumptions that she knew all there was to be known. In fact, she was fairly certain she would still be learning new things when she was an old lady; that was the way of healing after all. 

She stopped again to look up at a fir tree, its branches still heavy with residual snow. Standing on her hind legs, the healer positioned herself against the trunk, wanting to get a better view of the bark higher up. Sometimes, a type of useful fungus grew on them, and she wanted to see if any had appeared yet. A large hawk flew from the same tree then, jostling the skinny branch on which it had been perched and loosening a mound of snow just enough to fall towards the earth. Speedy happened to be in the falling snow's path, and before she could move out of the way, she found herself with a face full of snow. She dropped to all fours, shaking the cold stuff from her face before softly laughing at her self. Oops, she said, shrugging and turning to Dirge with an amused smile.

Trying, he suspected, was half of the battle; the rest was proving the claim. Whether or not she was a capable of healer was anyone's guess, but truth be told he didn't care to find out. Fortunate was he, who had never required serious care from another and had for the most part kept his hide intact. He planned to keep it that way.

As they came to a stop along the firs, his attention shifted to what she did next. This was a peculiar thing to see—truth be told, he didn't know that he had ever caught anyone else doing such a thing. The bark may have been damp and almost withered from age and old sap, but it was still strong and flourishing. He too missed the hawk nestled in its ample cover, and was also not entirely clear of the snow loosened from the bough.

With a shake of his coat to toss off what had landed along his back, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"I wonder if he was waiting to do that, or if he thought you could reach him," he wondered aloud. "Though I'm curious, what did you intend to find at this tree?" Never quite one to miss an opportunity to learn something, he felt it would serve him well to make queries along the way. Never knew when some piece of trivia would come in handy later.

Hmm, she said first, thinking his first question. I bet he probably just got spooked by my sudden appearance, she guessed. She didn't know much about birds, though. To his second question, she smiled warmly and glanced back to the trunk. Sometimes, a certain kind of fungus grows on these trees, the healer explained. I found it in some of these trees just before winter, so I was checking so see if anymore had grown. Although, now that she inspected the tree more closely, it looked much too healthy to be a victim of the plant. She began walking again, turning to Dirge to continue speaking. The fungus is really good for wounds, but it usually grows on dying trees that have access to some sunlight, so usually trees towards the edge of the forest, she finished. She lowered her nose to the ground and moved farther into the forest, ready to change direction the second she caught the scent of something interesting.

As she explained, his gaze stole away to the trees in their vicinity.

"A fungus," he murmured to himself; he had never thought of such a thing. Then again, perhaps it were best that he did not consider what all went into poultices and salves. Healers certainly had their means of making both and applying either and the gathering of such tasks had never quite been one in his routine or education. He couldn't have imagined them to taste well; gods knew they certainly did not smell all that wonderful either.

Better than a festering wound set to rot, however.

"There's not too many pockets of dying trees around here that I'm aware of," he said, picking up where she left their conversation. "You may have some luck along the northern fringes of the borders however, the trees there seem to take the brunt of whatever weather happens to come in." Though the forest seemed to go on for miles in many directions, it was the tapering into the rolling hills where those woods thinned to nil that seemed the most worn.

She followed his gaze the forest beyond them as he suggested a better place to look for the fungus. That makes sense, she replied. You learn something new every day, the healer added, turning back to Dirge to offer him a thankful smile. Let's head there now and check it out, she suggested, beginning to walk again. No sense in putting it off for another day when she had plenty of time to go now. She glanced to him over her shoulder, smiling again before continuing to move towards the area he had pointed out. It really did make sense that the fungus would be more likely to grow there; like he had pointed out, the trees towards the edge of the forest would be more worn and prone to damage than the ones nestled safely towards the center. She grew excited thinking about the prospect of finding something useful to take back to her den, and her pace quickened a little. But then she remembered her packmate and slowed some, looking over to the earthen man. How do you like to pass the time? Speedy asked, curiosity filling her expression. She was always intrigued to learn more about what drove others, especially her packmates, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to get to know Dirge a little better.

In her wake he followed again, amused with the eagerness that came to her features. If he were to draw anything at all from the gusto she carried, it was that perhaps she was dedicated to her noble craft. Dirge did not share this in full, but it was hard not to fall into step behind her, or to keep the pace she set; the energy was as much infectious as it was welcomed, and he did not tire of trailing her through the mess of timber and stone.

As it were, she did not seem keen on leaving him behind. Over a dip and a rise later, he found that she had slowed, and he moved to close in the distance between them with a reassuring wave of his tail. He hadn't ditched her, and she hadn't ditched him; all was well. The conversation could continue.

”I wander, mostly,” he rejoined, not so sure how to answer her question. Lately it had been less about wandering and more about trailing after and getting in the way of Hydra's routine, but that hardly seemed appropriate to answer with. It would only generate more questions and Dirge was nothing but evasive when he wanted to be.

His statement trailing, but he continued to elaborate: ”When the weather's decent, that is. I busy myself by watching the herds, tracking them too. I explore the mountain. Pales in comparison to the work you've set out to do, I believe.” And perhaps not, as the two were yin and yang and then some on the grand scheme of things. They all had a role and they all played a part, but like his evasiveness he could not help make subtle strokes at someone else's ego.

super sorry for the wait!

So he was wanderer. His answer piqued her interest, having been a wanderer herself before joining Moonspear. She smiled brightly at his compliment but shook her head. Tracking is just as important, she started. They all had to eat, right? So, tracking their food seemed just as vital to the pack's survival as being able to heald wounds and treat sickness. I like to wander too, she added a second later. Before coming here, I was on my own for a while, and I loved exploring and meeting strangers, the healer elaborated. In fact, had it not been for her affinity for striking up conversations with random wolves, she never would have met Llewellyn and been lured to Moonspear in the first place. And now that she was here, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else, even now that her friend had returned home. 

They reached the edge of the forest, and Speedy slowed her steps, coming to a stop near a particularly rough-looking tree. She released a sad humming sound at the sight of the tree, but it's suffering was not in vain; a quick glance up to the tree would provide her with the lovely sight of the familiar green fungus. Once again, she placed her front paws on the tree. The tip of her nose just barely touched the opportunistic plant, and she gave it a few sniffs. Then she climbed down and glanced to Dirge. That's the right stuff, but it doesn't smell ready, she said. But, at least I know it's here and can come back and check on it occasionally. She looked around, searching the tree line for any other sickly-looking trees and saw none. So, she set off again, nose to the ground in search of the particular smell of rotting.

Ah, there it was. The age old comment of how everything was important. He did not doubt that his vague areas of expertise were of some importance, but they were all capable of such feats. If not for that, they would have been dead weight in a pack, and it was equally in his area of expertise to know that dead weight often did not last long. They were liabilities and like threats, they were appropriately dispatched. Still, a demure smile spread on his features at her reasoning; he appreciated the thought, nonetheless.

What was of more interest to him was that she too had wandered, as if it hadn't been evident in the fact that she had come from somewhere. Happened into the ranks at some point while he had not been there, though Dirge hardly pay them any mind. He knew who to appease and who not to bother with, and the rest simply fell into place. This instance was no different; Speedy was easy-going, genuine. They would get along fine—even more so that they shared a meandering trait or two. He followed in her wake as she made for the fringes of the wood, falling silent in their conversation to survey her actions along the bark once again. He made note of the musks that lingered along this stretch of borderland, but also found nothing of the dank sort, nor questionable.

Even the woods were quiet, at least of their kind. Moonspear was relatively isolate for now.

He followed her again as she headed off.

"Exploration's half of the fun, I admit," he said to carry their conversation, "and there are certainly plenty of interesting characters to come across. I've seen my share over the seasons, all with their differences, and allegiances." He had learned those in the north, at least what he had encountered, focused on community far and wide. There was a mix of that and straight out territorial grabs here, and to the south it only seemed to deteriorate from there. He couldn't recall his natal pack being of the resource sharing sort, but they were still far from being outright militant.

"How far have you ventured? I've seen my share of places in a few days walk of here."

no concern on the wait! :)

She had to agree: exploration was half the fun. And, she had also come across many different kinds of wolves during the time she spent roaming the wilds. Lucky for her, she had never run into too much trouble while out on her own. She was glad they seemed to have found something they had in common, and so when he inquired further about her time as a wanderer, she happily answered: Well, I explored a lot of places, really. She smiled, her steps slowing into a more relaxed stroll from her previous efficient pace often used when she needed to get things done. I've been to most places between these mountains and the mountains to the east, she began, lifting her nose in the direction of Sunspire. And, I explored all of the coast, Speedy continued. The coast was probably my favorite place to be. At least, it was her favorite before she made Moonspear her home. She still loved the beach, but she was happy here and any future trips to the coast would only be temporary. 

She smiled at him again. What about you? she asked with genuine curiosity. Where all have you been? She wondered if they had been wandering the wilds at the same time. They could have been near each other, their paths close to crossing long before they shared the bonds of pack.

She was as well traveled as he was, if not a smidgen more. He found that admirable to say in the least, for it were no easy achievement to cover ground and flit between claims. The world was chock full of wolves like them too; it was just as easy to find another face if one knew where exactly to look. And sometimes, it required no looking at all, if the world felt favorable to set things in front of them. Perhaps such a meeting as this was one of them, and he found himself yearning for the weather to turn favorable again for such travel, come what may.

"We seem to have covered much of the same ground," he rejoined. "There is quite the variety to be found between the mountains and then beyond that. Shame the weather turns unfavorable the further north you go, though there are some stunning locales there to see." He didn't miss much of them though, not at all a fan of the ill-favored chill that lingered. "But the coast is also my favorite place to roam. I haven't seen all of it from one end to the other, but a good thing is perhaps best enjoyed in moderation."

In the wake of his words, he felt wistful and bittersweet—he had lingered in this place for a long time, longer than he had ever intended. There were creature comforts, but that came with anything familiar. A vague sense of safety and community ever held at arm's length, if by nothing else than his own reservations. He supposed it was nice to belong and yet the siren song of the wilds called to him in spite of it.

my turn to apologize for the wait

She smiled again, eyes brightening when he stated that they had explored the same areas. She wondered if they had been close to crossing paths at any point.

She hadn't been very far north, preferring the warmer temperatures as well, but his description of the place piqued her curiosity, and she found herself suddenly wishing she had explored those areas too. Maybe when it was warmer, she could leave for a little bit to explore again. She loved being here, but she missed traveling and meeting new wolves too.

His mention of the coast made her smile. Hmm, I have to disagree, she started, smile growing. A good thing is meant to be enjoyed freely, she continued. That way, it balances the tough, inevitable parts of life. She shrugged a little. No sense in denying yourself too much of a good thing when life always found ways to make things harder regardless.

No worries <3

Perhaps she was right, he thought. Maybe there was no such thing as too much of a good thing, but he would be the first to say that he was never entirely certain of that. His life had not been full of good things, even now pockmarked with lingering traces of what made him the way that he was. Still the notion was not enough to wipe the smile from his face as they continued on, the conversation drifting towards the many different facets that they enjoyed of the various biomes available to them. When the forests had been searched clean of any trace of what Speedy sought, they headed back towards the inner core of the territory, and went their separate ways.