Whitefish River BWP: If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky

Would love @Evergreen, @Ira or maybe @Firefly for the drama if any of you has time!

Every now and again, Dragomir would awake to the sound of distant rumbling. His ears would always perk up before his eyes opened, but the groaning of the earth never failed to drive the sleep from him. They lasted only seconds at a time with nothing more but the rapid wing beats of fleeing birds to make them noteworthy, but every tremor sent a lance of foreboding through him. He didn't know what it was, but there was something wrong.

This, in turn, motivated him to work harder at regaining his ability to walk. His one mended hind leg was still too weak to support his weight for longer than a couple of seconds without another wolf supporting him, but Dragomir still attempted to stand several times each and every day, often coinciding with the tremors. It was a great ordeal every single time. His shoulders and forelegs had to bear the brunt of his weight, and they simply weren't strong enough to compensate for the lack of muscle in his rear end. He often managed to lift himself quaking on the balls of his feet and could even pivot his healed leg beneath him in spite of its stiffness, but it always ended with him collapsing forward on his chest, jerking the other hind leg painfully (but nowhere near as painfully as when it was freshly broken).

Which was exactly where he was now, having pitched forward with a shrill yelp during his latest attempt to stand while the earth rumbled ominously beneath him.

He had returned with the others after the initial shock of a quaking earth, and resumed his duties. The rumbling hadn't lasted long and it had been distant even so, leading Firefly to think less and less of the possible danger around Kaistleoki. It was better to keep busy anyway; if anything were to go wrong then they would need every able body to compensate. The season may have just shifted from summer in to autumn, but that was another thing to consider - it would soon be too cold and sparse for hunting smaller game, and the pack would need more supplies before then.

It was Firefly's plan to winter here at the very least, and to do that he'd need to be useful. Having given his word that he would keep his head down and keep busy (while also avoiding Vercingetorix and whatever spawn he'd created), Firefly wasn't about to go back on his word nor incur the wrath of the former Dragedan; let old rivalries die, or at least stagnate, until a better time. With these thoughts in mind (or at least considered somewhere in the man's brain, however vague) Firefly got to work trailing after the scent of yet another pest.

He was crossing by a section of the territory he hadn't been to before when he heard a sharp call, and paused. As he lurched to a stop Firefly realized the earth hadn't quite finished - he felt a distinct sense of vertigo, feeling as if the ground was rolling and curling, his equilibrium fluctuating dramatically enough to make him duck and side-step, at which point the rumbling ebbed away. It took a moment before Firefly felt confident enough to stand up properly - and even then, his hindquarters were tense and vibrating softly. He shook the nerves from his body with a toss of his shoulders (down to his hips), and then remembered - that yelp!

Hey - someone here? He hadn't looked around much until that point, and finally took notice of a hollow where - he presumed anyway - someone was hiding out. The scent of Vercingetorix was stronger here which put Firefly on-edge, but if he was going to be of any use, he may as well start now. Ducking towards the entryway, Firefly's eyes took a moment to adjust, and he saw (or thought he saw) a skinny mini-Vercingetorix, and did a double-take, because, Ah, hell, you're another one of his aren't you? At this rate he'd lose his other eye for sure.

Ninja'd! I hope you don't mind Eve, too

The rumbles are growing frequent. Their cause unknown, and at first he thought @Dawn might’ve been corrected, with a slide in the nearby mountains causing the commotion. But it certainly could not be repeated so often, right? His round ears twitch—a deep frown becoming typical of the bearish Count who often loved to smile. He worries, for winter is soon upon them too, and Kavik’s warning of a coyote pack that took out his own last winter haunts him.

Once more, the ground begins to shift. Wandering near the Cave when he hears a yelp, Evergreen is torn out of his thoughts—concerned for the safety of either Dragomir or Speedy’s children. He knows from Ira of Aurë’s departure, and is uncertain what to make of it—for he would never have allowed one of his own to traverse to a pack in terms of seeking an “alliance”. Kaistleoki may wish to branch and meet with various packs, but he shall not accept allies without seeing how serious the other pack is for himself.

He rushes over to the Cave, ignoring the fear that prickles at the darkness of it for the sake of making sure everyone is okay. Another wolf is already at the scene. One he has yet to meet, and he glances at him cautiously. Speedy? He calls out, keeping an eye out for any rocks that may have fallen. His eyes lock upon a dark patch, however, and the Count startles—freezing. ... D-Dragomir? Is that you? Are you alright?

The springy grass in the little thicket outside the caves took the brunt of the pain from his fall, but the boy groaned nonetheless as he tried to right himself despite the vibrating earth. It was no use. His healed leg was just too weak to take any of his weight and there was only so much his forelegs could compensate for. None of this felt natural to him, so he let himself flop spreadeagled on the ground and huffed through his nose. Stupid legs. Stupid shaking ground.

So far, Dragomir hadn't been too worried about it. Word 'round the pack was that it was just a landslide in the mountains. While he worried about what would happen if a landslide found its way to the river, Dragomir felt far enough removed from the ominous event that he wasn't yet afraid. His reaction to Firefly's arrival and subsequent curse was therefore not the quiet hope of a fearful kid left alone in a scary place, as it maybe should be, but a perplexed, deadpan what do you mean?

Luckily, before things could get tense—because as mad as Dragomir was at Vercingetorix for being an objectively terrible father prior to now, he was still proud to be his son in some roundabout way—Evergreen arrived, casting Dragomir's previous befuddlement into actual concern. If the leader looked so worried, then … Evergreen? What's going on? I'm fine.

The boy said something but Firefly was already back-pedaling, trying to slip away before the boy's father could come upon them together. He turned and felt his blood run cold at the sound of a voice, the shape of something dark and warm creeping closer, and while Firefly wasn't afraid of Verxingetorix he did have a healthy respect for boundaries, and wasn't feeling very confident in himself while confined. If this enounter led to a fight he wouldn't have the space to defend himself adequately; his mind flashed the image of a cougar before him for a split second, if that, just as Evergreen stepped close enough to discern. Cat to bear to wolf — and Firefly let out a tensed breath.

The man pushed his way around the burly wolf and out in to the open air, where he'd pace and let the feeling of stress subside. Then he took notice of the still-trembling earth; he stopped his marching and looked around, tried to plant his feet so that he was stable, but the shuddering came and went, and came again, making the fur on his neck stand on-end with worry. Firefly wasn't sure what to do but perhaps it would be safer for everyone if they abandoned Kaistleioki — the thought entered his mind and he turned towards the mouth of the den where the two wolves remained, and he called to them, Hey, should we get movin'?

Skipping to keep this moving. Gonna put a 3 day skip rule in place since this is already outdated and I'd like to get it done sooner rather than later - can skip someone's turn if they haven't posted in a full 72 hours.

Evergreen didn't seem to have any answers. Dragomir couldn't fault the man for that; it wasn't like he or his family had any idea what was going on either. Rather than speculating as he might have when he was a younger, healthier and happier wolf, he turned his gaze to Firefly in silence. The way he moved made Dragomir's hackles lift nervously, but there was nothing to suggest aggression in his downed posture. The man didn't answer his question and didn't explain his furtive mannerisms, and that alone made him suspicious.

Dragomir didn't have time to confront him on it, as if he had the energy to anyway. Firefly was busy suggesting that they move, and that took the boy's mind off the other wolf's sneaky behaviour. Heat rose up into his face, followed by that damnable prickling of shame behind his eyes and cheeks as he mumbled, can't.

Last post from me, I think, since he is now RIP. Can fade after!

Firefly wasn't the best creature when it came to children. He'd never really meshed with them, never given himself the chance to form that kind of attachment, so he was more interested in saving his own skin when the ground's quaking worsened. Still, he was pacing outside of the hollow where Dragomir was stuck; he heard some sounds that indicated someone was talking, but as the ground gave one drastic lurch after another, Firefly's thin patience finally snapped.

He lunged inside the little cave, shoving against the big figure of Evergreen to get to the boy; whatever his injuries, he couldn't lay there and let the dirt take him. Firefly wouldn't let him be swallowed up like that. So as he jockied for position next to Evergreen he told the kid, Look, the earth is shaking and you're not safe. You have to get up. If you can't, I'll drag you out. It'll hurt and maybe it'll screw with your healing, but its better than being buried alive - so brace yourself, and it was the only warning he'd give.

Firefly pushed ahead and grabbed at Dragomir's neck, like a parent might a cub, then pulled and stomped in reverse, bringing him partway out whether he was struggling to stand or not; whatever the kid's issues he had to be removed for his own safety. Once he was out then Evergreen could help him the rest of the way.

Gonna just wrap this up, it's really outdated now.

For whatever reason, the colossal Evergreen said and did nothing to help (some leader, thought Dragomir with a bitter twist of his lips), but Firefly at least stepped up to aid him. He nodded slowly when the man voiced his intentions, but even knowing what was coming didn't stop the hiss of pain that seeped past his lips when his scruff was grabbed and he was yanked forward. He did his very best to get his feet under him and help, mostly to make the pain stop, but it was slow going and ineffectual.

Eventually they got clear of the danger, and then Firefly took his leave with strange haste. Evergreen was gone, too. It left Dragomir feeling oddly inadequate, but that was nothing new. He settled down in the open and curled into as much of a ball as he could, eager to hide his emotions from the world.