Duck Lake ain't that a kick in the head?
Morningsong
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#1
All Welcome 
forward-dated to tomorrow afternoon, the 21st

aditya ought to know better, going after a deer by himself. but he was out, feeling good, and the old doe was small and arthritic. he had three mouths to feed—a nursing mother and two growing babies. not to mention his own, and those mouths of others living at the creek (if there was anything even left over).

so—why not give it a shot? perhaps someone would come along and help, but then he'd have to share. . .and right now, given the circumstances, he'd really rather not.

he dashed forward, skimming the banks of the small lake, hoping to startle the doe away from the water and onto the uneven shoreline, where she'd struggle to find footing while his fleeter feet would thrive. unfortunately, a duck's quack of alarm upon seeing him spoiled the plan, and the deer spooked, running instead headlong toward aditya.

oh, okay, he could work with this, right? he was big enough to take her down solo; he launched himself but was caught short by his paw stubbing against a protruding rock. he didn't even have time for a curse, just a hiss of pain as he stumbled into the deer's path—and caught a blow to the temple from one forehoof.

adi was lucky in many respects. had that hoof connected differently, or in another place, his skull could have shattered, or his spine could have been severed. he could be paralyzed; he very well could be dead. instead, he dropped, instantly knocked unconscious, a crimson trickle from just below his left ear as the doe headed for the hills.
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#2
Hey! <3

Steph was too curious not to follow Phas' trail once things had begun to settle down in Easthollow. She followed the blood trail through Fox's glade, where it mingled with another's. They smelled similar, and Steph could only assumed that it was a pack mate of hers. There's hadn't been another wolf who helped attack Steph's little sibling, so why would her pack mate simple wait here while the pack tried their best to tear her apart? These were questions that Steph may never know the answers to. 

The smell of Duck Lake brought her forth just in time to see a wolf and a deer get into it. Well, not exactly. The wolf looked like he just got hit in the head, and then went still. Once the deer had left the scene, Steph trotted over to the still figured, her nose trying to discern if she knew this wolf. Had he been in the same back as their brief meeting nearly twelve moons ago, she might have an inkling of who he was. But, it had been a fleeting introduction, one that Steph did not recall. 

But, the male had one good things going for him. He didn't smell like the wolf who attacked the Easthollow pup. So, she sat back on her haunches, watching the trickle of blood come from the gash in his head. He looked to still be breathing, so her intent was to wake him up by cleaning the blood from his fur, and then licking his face. Hopefully he wouldn't wake up with a fuss.
The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone ~Geothe
Sunny is allowed in all threads, open or private, created by Steph
Morningsong
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heeeeyyyy! welcome back!

coming to was, to put it crassly, a bitch. but he was alive, at least, and so aditya opened his eyes with some effort after several minutes, wincing at the blinding pain in his head. the dark form above him was doubled at first, but then coalesced into the singular form of a young wolf, licking his face. he appreciated the effort, but it hurt more than it helped; he cringed awkwardly away, squinting at the girl.

kaun hain? adi asked gruffly, swiping a tongue along dry jowls. he realized moments later he had spoken in his mother's tongue, and so he scrabbled together the scattered bits and pieces of his mind, trying to form words that would be coherent to her. however. . .

he couldn't find them. that was odd.

ah. . .k-kaun—kaun hain? he tried again, hoping against hope that somehow she would find the meaning, even if she didn't fully understand his speech.
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#4
The wolf stirred and pulled away from her. Steph took the opportunity to take a step back to give him some room. She looked at him intently, her ears perking when he spoke. It wasn't a language she could remember ever hearing, and she certainly didn't know what he was saying. 

He repeated himself, and she took that as him trying to make her understand. She shook her head slowly, I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're saying, she said regretfully. Umm... I'm Steph, I'm from Easthollow, she tried, figuring an introduction was the safest start. Are you okay? she asked. He didn't seem to be scared of her presence, so that was something at least.
The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone ~Geothe
Sunny is allowed in all threads, open or private, created by Steph
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curiously enough, he understood every word she gave him—but when it came to forming common tongue of his own, aditya fell woefully short. theek ho, he said briefly, then horror dawned upon his features as he realized what he'd meant to say was coming out completely unintelligible to the woman. ah. . .maaf karo.

'easthollow,' at least, heartened him somewhat, and he began to rise to his paws, drawing in a hissing breath as pain took over his skull. mera naam aditya, he said, putting emphasis on his name, as it might be the only thing she understood. bahut dhanyavaad, steph. ah. . .valette kaisi hain?

hopefully, the names he continued to throw out would lead them into some sort of conversation, even if it ended up being awkward and one-sided. unfortunately, the effort made his head hurt even more; he needed to get back to swiftcurrent, sleep this off.
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#6
Steph tried desperately to understand what he was saying, but it was no use. I'm sorry, I don't understand your language, she said softly, her eyes displaying her sorrow. She didn't even realize when he gave his name, as she took it to be just another word she didn't understand. Still, she tried to follow along. 

She heard her name, so he must have understood her. Then her eyes went bright and her ears perked when she heard Valette's name. Valette! she said excitedly. That's my mother! She's still Alpha of Easthollow! Now they were getting somewhere! Though... where that was, exactly, she wasn't sure. Do you want to go there? she asked. If he knew Valette, surely he would be welcome.
The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone ~Geothe
Sunny is allowed in all threads, open or private, created by Steph
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aditya sighed, nodding. jaanta hoon, he said sadly, with a shrug. there wasn't any way to communicate with her. he kept trying and trying to find the common tongue, but it was like grabbing a fish in the stream between his paws. it all kept slipping away from him, even as he got closer. and he didn't know why.

he shook his head at her query, giving her a kind smile regardless. nahin, theek hai, adi assured her, shifting his weight a little as he tested each limb. physically, he seemed to be all right, save for the headache. mentally, though. . .his brains were a little, well, scrambled, and god knew how long it would take for them to resolve that state.

dhanyavaad, he said again, for lack of much else to give her. it was about time he began to head home. perhaps there was a healer within swiftcurrent's ranks that could assess his head, figure out what was wrong and how to treat it.

unless there was further resistance from her, he began to pad away, flashing a grateful look toward the girl in parting.
Follow your heart, listen to your inner voice, stop caring about what others think.
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Steph, while not understanding his oral language, still understood his body language. They were getting nowhere, and he seemed disappointed. She felt the same, and she hated that she wasn't able to help more. Her offer to take him to Easthollow seemed to be declined, as the male turned to leave. Steph stood in place, giving him a hopeful smile that he would be alright, wherever he was going. 

She watched him for a bit, noting that, physically, he seemed to be okay. Maybe that's what he was trying to tell her. When he was out of sight, Steph turned to head back home.
The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone ~Geothe
Sunny is allowed in all threads, open or private, created by Steph