Sequoia Coast firewater to the belly

For @Ivev. Set on the northernish coast, somewhere~

After some deliberation, she returned to the coast once again. For days she had not seen or hear of Tonravik, but the same could have been said for many of their followers. Echelon often worked solo, it was simply how she was. The delay in tracking them down or even catching a glimpse of them was, well, unfortunate, but it was also their way. Even the lumbering oaf Suinnak had managed to stay hidden from her… but she didn't bother looking for him anyway. She felt at that point if he was lagging behind any of them, they wouldn't have been hard to find.

Instead the young Tartok scout had taken the time to begin her lay of the land. It was out of habit, as she knew their lands in the north rather well from end to end. Her dark, flighty behavior had kept her alive thus this far, and she hoped it would continue to do the same. Along the coast she feared little and in turn, chose to rest sphinx-like on the gritty ground. Here the salt would permeate, masking her travels well. But something else had captured her attention altogether. Storm clouds gathered out to sea as far as she could tell, clouds that she knew — or thought she knew — all to well. They seemingly rose up and out of the great water itself, and she found herself wondering if they would come ashore in time and rain down great amounts of salt to taint the waters even more.

django django — firewater

Ivev had stuck to the grassy and beech forests strewn at the edge of the beach, white-washed fallen logs providing places to duck and jump over as she traversed her way north. The salt had left an acrid taste in her nostrils, so the arctic creature had put enough distance between her in the water as she used the coastline as a guide to travel north. The churning water had sprung up dark gray clouds that bunched the western horizon, and occasionally her cerulean eyes stopped and scanned the crowded sky.

With long legs built for crossing sub-arctic tundra, the female had made progress regrouping north to hang around the small band's camp near the waterfall. She was beginning to pursue the validity of Tartok's claim to the wilds. Hope had still found a foothold in her mind, driving the wolf to always circle back and stick around the tree-choked canyon that they had first stopped at. But it would look like Ivev would make a stop before returning; a black figure padding along the beach had caught her attentions. With a friendly wag of her tail, Ivev loped down the crest of the forest and onto the sand. She had recognized the female. The group had traveled together for some bit, and even if they hardly spoke, the ivory canine had a memory that locked images and faces into her mind. This ebony wolf was traveling in their band.
Hello! she called out, her feet high-stepping over the loose white sand. Ivev still felt she was sinking whenever she walked on the beach, but the black coated creature seemed to be enjoying the smooth texture underneath her paws.

Sorry if my posts are a little awkward, Echelon is a bit of a deviation from my rampant playing of Mordecai. <__> <333~

Little seemed to matter as she rested on the sand. She was alone and that was fine; it gave her time to work out the more natural harmonies of the world around her. But like a stone through a glass house, it was shattered at the beckoning of someone else. Her head whipped to the side viper-like, hackles prickling at the feminine voice that rang out. At once she recognized the ivory body of Ivev. They had met somewhere in one of those intermingling jaunts as Tartok. Her eyes observed the approach with scrutiny, wondering what Tonravik had seen to recruit her.

But Echelon made no move to rise and greet her fellow, instead turning her focus back towards the sea briefly in time to catch the visible line and bright flash of distant lighting. It was then that she rose, suspicion giving way to something more baseline and primal. The surf would change soon; the storm would move in eventually but the sea would give them fair warning. By then, Ivev had reached her, or had at least come in close enough. “Let's get off the sand,” Echelon said to her tersely, and turned away from both wolf and sea towards the cover of the timberline beyond.

ahaha that's okay



The earth seemed to grab hold of her paws and pulled her down, and Ivev felt a small battle over her body as an updraft took hold of her fur and sucked it towards the towering thunderhead. The female had risen from her position, one uncurling motion that padded with ease across the sand. With her greeting to Echelon reprimanded, the white wolf turned on her heel and waited as the female passed her before starting up her walk again.

She didn't know the ebony wolf very well, and already her personality had come out. With a simple remark, she had expressed herself as one of pursed lips and tense sentences. The arctic creature couldn't help but to match her step as Echelon passed, accompanying her up the hill to the tall fir and hemlock that compromised the coastal forests.

Her type was nothing unfamiliar. Perhaps her past was a haunting experience that snuck up in the most inopportune times, or her personality was just one of a cut-to-the-chase type. Still, Ivev wouldn't be easily driven away if this was to be her future packmate.

You enjoy the beach better than I do, the ivory creature commented as they stepped into the recesses of the forest, skirting the roots of a massive cedar.

The ivory female joined her as they made their way to the safety of the timberline. Still keeping the ocean in sight, Echelon did not go all that far into its cover. No, she wanted to stay visible, stay where she could observe the weather keenly. And, perhaps observe whoever else was bound to come meandering down the shoreline as time went on. While she had seen few wolves carrying on up and down the coast, it was safe to say that Echelon did not know where they were headed, or what they were doing. So far any of the natives she had encountered of the wilderness were curious creatures indeed.

Ivev's question brought her to the present though, and she took her trained eyes from the water to the wolf's face. “Why don't you like it?” She wasn't interested in explaining her fascination with the ocean just yet, but was rather interested in why there seemed to be dislike in the other. Her high steps had been enough to suggest it so, though her speech pushed it more into certain territory.

I like solid ground beneath my feet, Ivev had replied as they stopped, her pale blue eyes watching as Echelon turned to look out through the portrait of trunks at the broiling waves. She noticed the charcoal female was enraptured by the darkening of the sky, pale orange-white flashes rumbling at the peak of the clouds. It would probably be the last thunderstorm of the season as fall set in and cooled the air enough that the hot streaks of lightning would dissipate until late spring.
Known as Thunder Beings, the claps of the storm and the blinking of lightning through sheets of rain were the products of strange monsters chasing each other through the heavens, whose beat of wings would produce the forked spears that danced from belly to belly of a cloud. Perhaps there were different explanations for this phenomenon, something Echelon knew about that she would perhaps share.
What makes the lightning? Ivev questioned quietly, her chin lifted to point to the horizon. Above them, the sky began to turn a sunset glow as the sun set behind the storm, setting the clouds afire with a yellow aurora.

Her answer seemed to satisfy Echelon, who allowed her attentions to be pulled back out to sea with the next crackle of thunder and lightning. It only seemed fair that Ivev would draw her attentions out there as well, and the question that she asked surprisingly did not provoke much thought out of her at all. Who made the lightning? “The clouds do,” and really, that wasn't much of an answer either. It begot another question, because who made the clouds? There were a lot of things she didn't know the answers to, and that was one of them. But lightning most definitely came from the clouds.

“It looks like the worst of the storm is going to come ashore to our north, though. I'd expect to get wet shortly, but not in the next few minutes at least.” Also satisfied with that, she looked back to Ivev. “Do you know anything about the weather here?” The ivory wolf had joined them in their gathering, but from where Echelon did not know. She only assumed she was dealing with someone who was more of a native, versus the northern-hailing creature like herself.

The female settled to the ground, her body nestled into the crook a massive tree whose branches were impossibly tall above her head, so much that Ivev would have to balance on her back legs to catch a glimpse at the pinnacle of the cedar.

Echelon had predicted the storm would make landfall to their north, but it's arms would sweep over their location and douse them with rain.
“Do you know anything about the weather here?” her accompanist asked, and Ivev lifted her blue pools in response.

I've been observing it to the best of my ability, but I'm not familiar with it, she responded. Just like anywhere, it snows in the winter, the thunder comes in the summer.. the leaves change in the fall. A gust of wind raked its fingers over the forest floor. It reminded her of the constant breeze on the tundra, with winds that varied in force.

It has been cool this summer. I think the snows will come early.

The onyx female seemed to be drawn to the storm, her eyes dancing yellow with the flashes. Ivev couldn't help but to study her closer, noticing the strange white underhairs that peeked out from under her black coat. If this predator was a native to Teekon, she would most likely be in a pack and not running alongside the ragged Tartok kind
.
This is not your homeland, is it? Ivev mused, sitting up.

I just want to say that in spite of Echelon being her buttface self, I am really enjoying this thread so far!

Despite the fact that she what Echelon knew to be true of the lands out of the far north, her statement of the snow coming early to the region piqued her curiosity. But it had to be shelved for a moment, at least when it came to the queries of where she had come from. Echelon debated on how to answer it, wavering between lying outright and half-truths, but ultimately went with the truthful statement bound in it all. If Tonravik had deemed this one worthy of bearing Tartok's name, then she would trust in it.

“No, this is not my home. Tonravik and I come from the same place.” She made no meant of their ties to one another, or the tongues that they spoke in to one another. Even apart from her now, Echelon remained Tonravik's blood sister, though no true blood was really shared between them beyond what they had swapped per tradition. Giving her tousled coat a firm shake or two, the dark-coated canine remained standing. “Why do you think the snow will come early to this place? Perhaps the summer is cool because of the ocean air.” She couldn't speak for the interior of the land, though, merely the coast. Still, her interest now outshined any talk of her homeland.

xP if it goes well they could totally have an awesome friendship!


With the mention of Tonravik, the arctic creature's mind drifted back to the future of the pack. The leader's scent had been fleeting on the wind, her silvery-thatched black fur dancing through the grasses as the rest of the band trailed behind her.

The sound of the ocean was reaching her ears with each upstart of water washing the beach behind them. Why do you think the snow will come early to this place? Perhaps the summer is cool because of the ocean air.

Ivev accompanied her response with a slight shrug. I just noticed the amount of rain that fell over the summer. The earth is already cold beneath this layer. It will attract the snow easily, the female surmised. In the north, there would be already snow. The permafrost under the ground is what brings it, or so it is said.

Definitely!

Another rumble of thunder broke the silence that fell between them briefly, but it wasn't enough to deter Echelon from nodding fairly at the other's statement. She supposed that such things were true, but had often felt that mother nature was liable to do as she pleased. It was a no brainer to her that there would be snow in the north already though, and for a moment she fought off a longing feeling for the frigid and icy wonderland that she had been born in. The injection of color in the Wilds was however, interesting. There were many things to learn of there, but the season was fading fast.

“So you've been here a while then? Long enough to notice the rain, anyway.” Her interest still remained on the ivory female, and she canted her head slowly. “What else do you know about this place?” She implied that she meant more than just what the weather had been like. But Echelon knew that Tonravik would be pleased with whatever information she could suss out on her own, and it would be more than helpful in them finding an area to secure for their own good.

The air was beginning to feel more and more choked with humidity, basted with the eerie glow of a snap of lightning. Ivev watched as the low hanging branches of beech swayed back and forth with increasing intensity, and the occasional stir of leaves bounced off the earth.

The female glanced back at Echelon. I guess I have been here long enough for a few rainstorms, she responded lightly. But not long enough to see spring or winter. I hope to learn more by traveling about. Since the pair had no true pack land yet, Ivev had only a few real reasons to be about. There was no point in mapping the trajectory of prey migration if it was for somewhere they weren’t about to claim. Perhaps you and Tonravik have picked up on some interesting patterns?

Shifting her weight, Echelon felt her question had been misunderstood, or perhaps ignored. Or maybe Ivev simply didn't know anything about the lands either, which was also a likely outcome. Many of the wolves that had joined them had little familiarity with the terrain, which Echelon found slightly disheartening. But if she really was, she never let it show. The same went for this particular instance as well, her disappointment in not learning anything substantial did not show on her otherwise blank face.

“Tonravik knows. I am tasked with finding for myself.” Yet another short statement from the flighty creature, who only then decided to recline to her haunches. “Once the rains come and go, I intend to scout. I don't care to try and find my way in this oncoming weather.” The rain would take out the paths, wash away the scents, which was fine with her. She'd find what she needed to if she tried to look for it, and if the appropriate effort was behind it.

Once again, she tried to learn what the pale companion knew. “So you know about weather a bit, what else can you do?” She didn't know that Ivev was interested in the migratory patterns of the game, though that would have been quite an interesting thing indeed. At this point, Echelon felt any information she could suss out was useful information indeed.

Ivev's swiveled as Echelon spoke. It was true, neither had been there long enough to feel the current of the earth or the tide of the seasons had on the movement of life. The ivory female had yet to spend time following herds of deer, or elk, through the park and watching their migratory habits. At least the seasons retained their usual turning, and a wolf curious about it would notice that it wouldn't be long before the trees shed their leaves. She couldn't wait to stare up through a bare-branched wood at the night sky, the cool air making each celestial being shine even brighter.

Steady breaths of wind were beginning to pull and tug at Ivev's hair, and she shook her pelt to rid herself from the uncomfortable feeling that the ocean was trying to pull her in. Any idea where we plan to settle? A particular location that you wish to scout? she asked, tail waving slightly. In response to her second question, Ivev couldn't help but smile shyly, glancing away. It took a moment for her to respond, wondering whether Echelon had heard of such an occupation, or what her reaction might be.

Back home... there is a rank known as a Dreamer. You are taught to interpret anything, from, say, a rain storm, to a spiritual-ridden dream, as a sign from nature. It might be a little superstitious, but it helps me to notice things such as how one certain group of stars always rises from the east at night.

The gust front rolled over them as Ivev spoke, leaving Echelon glad that she had told them to come inland. Here the loose grit of the shore would not pelt them mercilessly, and the cover from the wood only seemed to amplify the sound of the ocean and its considerably choppy waters. Her focus had to be well divvied then, and most of it went to listening to her companion's talk of scouting and rankings within her former pack.

“Sounds weird,” was the only comment that Echelon made to the talk of a dreamer. But the part about watching the night skies was familiar to her, if not from her father. He had a particular word for it, but the common tongue slipped her memory. “Tonravik wants a mountain to claim. We only need to find one that will be suitable for us all, and those that may join us later.” While it went unsaid, the implications that it was not just any mountain were alluded to. Echelon had seen mountains in several directions, but what she had scouted thus far had been lackluster. She wouldn't have been surprised if some of the more prime places she had spied out were claimed, as well.

Making a small noise, the word that she had been looking for came back to her. “Your watch of the stars, that's astronomy. The patterns here vary from the ones where I am from.” But of course, they didn't vary too extremely. When the nights were decidedly clear, Echelon knew where to begin to look for the ones that she had seen in times past. But she had never tried to figure what their existence implicated or ultimately meant.

She was glad her bandmate had warmed up since their encounter on the beach. Echelon had made for some interesting conversation, something Ivev hadn't had since forever. Her previous pack had been full of healers devoted to the attention and glory of mending and patching up ailments. It had been a competitive atmosphere, one Ivev could not relax and study the natural world in. But Echelon seemed to share the same sort of passion, one that made Ivev's tail wag gently with each sentence.

I didn't expect it to be not, she laughed as the black wolf spoke. And a mountain? Ivev's ears perked. She had always lived on flat ground, and stayed away from the high rims of valleys and timber lines. It made her mind picture a massive stone structure, braced against the sky on the horizon. And as one approached, it would become more and more detailed, it's ridges, mountain valleys, and recesses seeming more accessible than they had been several miles back. I wouldn't mind a cave with a good vantage point. Then we could practice your... astronomy. Star gazing. The female's blue eyes seemed to shine with the thought.

Want to fade soon? :3

Practice her stargazing? Echelon withheld the scoff that wanted to inch its way out. She didn't need the practice, at least not in her mind. It would only be a matter of time before she understood the constellations and why they shifted. But it was secondary to her primary objective, and that was scouting out a place for Tonravik. Instead of throwing away the offer that her potential pack mate gave, she instead nodded agreeably. Echelon knew Tonravik would be less than happy with her if she drove off the others by being anti-social. So for her companion's sake, she would agree.

“We shall see. There are no guarantees we will stay here, either. If nothing is suitable, we will press on. Such is the way.” Her words went quiet towards the end, but it was true. They had been on the travel for some time now, with and without others to aid them in their quest. As if on point, the first few cold drops of rain began to pelt the duo in their cover, and Echelon's eyes returned to the rolling sea through the timberline. While the bulk of the storm remained off the coast, the outer bands of its wide swath had come to them swiftly. She hoped this would be the worst of it, just a brief interlude of rain to interrupt her plans.

Sure, feel free to archive and/or wrap up with whatever ^^ and I meant practice, as in 'practice medicine'


They had lapsed into silence as the rain was finally unleashed from the heavens, peppering their pelts with a cool deluge of water. The sky was totally gray now, and misty as undercurrents of the storm roiled above the waves. Far off coast, a low, muted rumble of thunder traveled across the waves.

Their talk had led both of them to ponder their futures for Tartok. The warrior pack had faltered in its step, and it did not seem likely they would settle before winter. Another force, the Neriedes, were growing in number farther up the shoreline and would most likely fill the role as a strict, warrior-disciplined pack on the landscape. For now, Ivev was left to wonder whether settling in some pack for the winter would be most beneficial for her survival, and wait for word on Tartok. She glanced back over at Echelon, whose black pelt was sleek and shiny from the wind and rain. Ivev shifted a bit, draping a paw over the tree's root as she lowered her chin and rested her head. For now, she would continue to wait, but time was running slim.