Lost Creek Hollow The Sharpest Lives

@Mordecai
Sherlock's pack had split up as he had entered the land. This put him in a slightly depressed mood since. He had heard of a new pack that was slowly forming. His paws ached from walking without stopping for days. Well, two days to be exact. Food and water had slipped his mind and now he weighed about 5-7 pounds less then he normally did. This had made his health slowly wither away. He now had a cold which made his coughs sound like he was hacking something up. He coughed and continued eventually smelling a faint border. He looked up to see a full moon hidden behind black clouds. He could smell rain slowly creeping it's way to him. He just sat down by a tree and howled/sang to the sky.

Dear rabbit, my legs are getting weak... chasing you
And the snowfields... Wouldn't seem so big, if you knew
That this blood on my teeth, it is far beyond dry...
And I've captured you once, but it wasn't quite right...

So I'm tellin' you.. That you'll be safe with me.

Oh rabbit, my claws are down now so don't be afraid...
I can keep you warm, as long as you can just try... To be brave.

Yes I know I'm a wolf, and I've been known to bite,
But the rest of my pack... I've left them behind.
And my teeth may be sharp, and I've been raised to kill...
But the though of fresh meat... It's making me ill.

So I'm telling you... That you'll be safe with...

So rabbit, please stop looking the other way...
It's cold out there... So why not stay here, under my tail...?

Here is the song, so you can listen to it.

*squeaks this in before work*

The air was thick with humidity, though it had truly been the smell of rain on the air that told Mordecai it was coming. And slowly as he made a final round of the perimeter they had been working to establish, the moonlight had slowly faded away into the cover of darkness. There it seemingly remained, though the loss of light did little to deter him from continuing on. As it were, it seemed the string of bad weather they had been having was coming to an end as well. That was perfectly fine; if he never had to see another thunderstorm the rest of the year, he was fine with that. Not after all the devastation they had brought to the countryside, not after all the burning and smoke. Certainly not after the trials and tribulations of the last few weeks.

At the point where he thought he'd turn in before the rain came, he caught the faintest of syllables rolling along with the wind. A little song and not much more, but enough to gain his attention. He pressed on ahead from the junction he had come to, following the loose paths through the forestry. It was not much longer before he began to spy out what could have only been the crude shape of another canine. Mordecai did not hide his approach; a closer inspection told him more than he could have asked for. A scraggly youth, one that still bore faint encounters with another place. Perhaps there was a thread of familiarity in it, but Mordecai could not place it either.

He chuffed at the yearling, letting his posture rise up naturally. Mordecai did not yet inquire what the wolf was doing there, presuming that his approach and subsequent stature would prompt the younger fellow into figuratively spilling the beans.

:3

 Sherlock felt eyes watching him. He turned and saw a larger male looking right at him. He swallowed some saliva and he got up. His tail was placed between his legs and he didn't feel very good. Was it the hunger or was it the feeling of being in trouble? He bowed his head, like any loner would to another wolf to greet him.

 Had he interrupted something he shouldn't have? He stepped backward thinking that he was too close to the border."I heard a pack was starting here. I have come to join." He coughed which at that point hurt his throat since it was sore from coughing. He was right at the point of fainting from lack of food. He prayed that the pack had a healer to help him get better. Every blink made him feel more and more tired from walking all day."I'm also in need of something to help me get better." His stomach snarled at Sherlock as if it was treatening him.

He looked at the ground and felt shy for a moment. Who did he think he was demanding to be helped. If this male did not let him in the pack he would understand."My name is Sherlock."

*squeaks this one in, too*

From the get-go, the fact that the wolf was sick did not bode well for him. Mordecai knew all too well how illness could spread, and that firsthand experience was not something he was so keen on repeating any time soon. Still, other than the evident cough and a raw, rough voice he didn't see anything that really suggested how ill he was, or wasn't. Regardless, there was an element of a cold sheen that turned up in his gaze, though perhaps it was mute in comparison to the curiosity that projected from him.

Especially when there were words dropped like I heard. This was something that Mordecai did not dispute, willing to believe that perhaps there were those who had tried to make their way in only to be driven away. Yet it struck him differently, uncomfortably even. This was not a feeling he held onto.

"What makes you think you belong here? You seem like you've had better days," he spoke, still holding his distance. Whatever the yearling had, Mordecai didn't want him to be sharing it. But it was also out of the notion that everything could have been an elaborate charade, and as it were, they deserved to be leery of what they could not control.

Careful don't want to get caught.

 Sherlock gave him a weak smile."I am loyal and will do what you want until the end. I walked two days to get here without eating or drinking. I think that is why I got so sick. I'm also strong, but everyone is at least a little bit strong. I have traveled to find a pack that is like my home away from home. I could be useful with hunting, fighting, even just making people feel better if they have had a bad day." He thought of every possible pro he had.

"I have had a better days, but I can't stand not being able to have a pack to talk to and keep me from the insanity of being alone." He had been lonely the day before and kept his hopes up of finally finding a place to stay. It was almost unbelievable how alone he felt that day. He never wanted to feel like that again.

More like don't be late, lol. I (unfortunately) don't have a cushy desk job.

Though he thought that the yearling had done was foolish, Mordecai opted to hold his tongue and let him speak. Perhaps there were reasons for everything and truthfully, there was bound to be a whole story he scarcely knew anything about. And at least this fellow had the typical pros about him that they all should have had; he could fend for himself, he could defend, all of those good things. And perhaps above all that, the one thing that they could all agree upon was that they were social creatures, and being alone was infinitely more difficult than having company.

"What you did was foolish," he said in the lull of silence, though his voice lacked a hard edge to it. There was little doubt in his mind that the other was finding his mistake to be that way as well. "But I suppose we may have a place for you. Prove yourself and you'll welcome to call it a home, but first we'll have you looked after." His attention deviated from the yearling long enough to throw a call out for @Harlyn, certain that she would be able to help. At least something to lessen the intensity of the ailments Sherlock had.

"I'm Mordecai, by the way."

 For the record, desk jobs are not always as cushy as they seem -____-

Harlyn was never too far from the Hollow those days.  She was beginning to feel more confident as their border markings grew more pronounced.  Soon enough they would fall into a more comfortable routine - wardens and leadership keeping the borders protected, the gamekeepers would hunt and begin stockpiling stores for the Winter months, and the rest would go about their business doing what they could for the well-being of the pack and enjoying their new lives together.

The druid gave a happy sigh when she thought about it as she walked along the borders.  Her thoughts were interrupted by a howl that at first made her heart leap with pleasure, but soon enough her excitement faded into calm for there was a note of seriousness on Mordecai's tone.  She kicked up her heels into a quick canter that eventually brought her across his path.  She lifted her head slightly as she approached, spotting the stranger.  A male, young, and with a touch of sickness on his breath.  She touched her nose briefly against the base of Mordecai's ear before regarding the yearling with a serious gaze.

"What have we here?" Harlyn murmured, her face finally breaking into a gentle smile.

I'm glad I don't have to get a job yet.

"I'm Sherlock." He was slightly embarrassed when Mordecai had told him that he shouldn't have done what he did. Oh well, it happened. He gave a small smile and then coughed. He tried not to get the other two sick, so he turned his head like he had done before when talking to Mordecai. His figure was just fur and bones, so it almost hurt to move his head to the side. It was probably just a bad case of the cold or something like that. His blinking was getting slower from fatigue, but he pushed himself to not fall asleep.

Harlyn came readily, though Mordecai had no doubts that she would be prompt in coming. Just as so, he did not waste time in explaining once Sherlock had introduced himself. "Figured you might be able to look him over a bit. He said he's been walking for a few days without eating or drinking, and in turn earned himself a cold." Hopefully, just a cold. If it were anything worse than that, Mordecai knew the answers and actions he would default to. No illness was going to strike them down.

The stranger introduced himself as Sherlock, and immediately Harlyn noted the weakness in his voice. Her ears perked sharply, sparing Mordecai a quick glance before lowering her head and stepping nearer to the sick creature. Her co-alpha proceeded to explain what he'd learned thus far about Sherlock while Harlyn sniffed at the air surrounding him. Her muzzle twisted into a frown. There was nothing about him that spoke of any terribleness disease or infection. He needed food and water, and sleep to be sure, but otherwise she was not alarmed by his condition, only concerned for his wellbeing.

"There's a cache not too far from here, a few minutes to the South near a large, knotted oak," she said, turning to Mordecai, "Luke and I have just barely begun to fill it, there's a groundhog carcass in it with this fellow's name on it." Harlyn looked back to her patient with a gentle smile then. "We need to get you fed and watered. I can get you something if your throat or head is sore, but it'll only make you sick if you have nothing in your stomach. Do you have strength to walk?" 

Sherlock nodded. A little walk wouldn't harm him too much. He was almost jumping up and down like a hyperactive puppy when he heard he had no serious illness. He would most likely bounce back as soon as possible just he could see the pack and who his new family was.

A soft smile spread across his face. He had a chance to join a newly formed pack and anyone or anything who would like to get in his way would be taken down. Excitement and pure joy were shown in his bight baby blue eyes. He felt like a puppy once again.

Wrapping this up. :)

Turning back towards the thick of the forest, Mordecai lingered for a moment until the others had joined him. He let Harlyn take the lead, falling in behind Sherlock quietly. They could at least spare a little goodwill towards him and perhaps they would be rewarded in some way by it — only time would truly tell. Still, he had caught the rejuvenating glimpse of happiness in the wolf and for now, that would simply be enough.