Totoka River risan

close to ravensblood forest

the man followed the river upstream, ambling along the shore as it went from the salt-licked coast to the lush mainland plains, the grasses a much gentler terrain for a tired traveler's paws.

he sung as he went. his belly played accordion to the tune, grieving the gull eaten days ago. 

"...th' sea~son rubs mi wraung,

th' sah~mer swells, anon,

so knock mi daun~"

Her pups were born, and mobile, though admittedly, they could not get very far. For now, she had left them with Lorelai and Noir. She was out stretching her legs when she heard... if she were being honest with herself, truly god-awful singing, and she left the shelter of her domain to find whoever was making that sound. She expected a wolf. What she got was a... complete question. She gave a quiet woof to alert him to her presence, and she approached, keeping a safe distance between them. She greeted warily, "Hail, stranger. Might I ask why you are so close to my pack's home?"

the dog halted and threw his head back, as if to howl, then continued the song at a greater volume.

"te-ar me up, 

but ai'll bear it aull broken juest to fill mai cup,

daaaun by th' wauter, 

daaaan by th' old main draaag~"

his voice trailed off. the singer smiled at the clear skies, satisfied with his own performance.

it was then that a chuff sounded.

slavuj's head dipped down and his tail rose up, but the state of alertness didn't last. once he took in the shape of the pretty black thing, and the soft loveliness of her voice, his tail fell and wagged enthusiastically.

"apolojies, miss, ai was unaeware deeze voods were yeours."

"ai was jeust followin'g this river h'ere, aend it was quite ae geourney!" the stray continued in a conservational tone. "yeo should see vhat the delta is laik et sanup. liquid fiyah, aes far aes the eye can see!" he grinned.

I apologize for the wait, I don't front that often. I'm making more of an effort though, haha.

Violante was not really one for small talk, but she attempted a small smile as he apologized. He seemed sincere, so she told him, "No, that's alright. We keep to ourselves, mostly, and rarely leave the woods." Then the male spoke of a delta, and the beauty it held at sunup, and she made a mental note to check it out one of these days. "It sounds lovely, thank you." She wasn't certain what to do from here, so she wondered, "Are you hungry? I've not been hunting for some time — since I'm out, it would be a good chance to stretch my legs."

is there a way i can see which characters each of you plays, and when you're available? :0 i don't actually mind the late reply here, i'd just like to know for future reference :D

a wood nymph! it only made sense. dark like loamy soil, one ear chipped like a leaf. the bard thought to voice these observations, but the offer of feeding him captured his attentions.

his head dipped as a show of thanks and respect.

"ma'em, yeou smell laik meelk, aend hev the curves of ae may-tree-arch. if yeou ken spare ey minut ah-vay fram yeour affspring t' feed ae stranger, yeou'd hev the infinite grachitude of jee veri universe!" 

he grinned, boyish.

Once again, I am so, so sorry for the wait. Replies shouldn't take longer than a week or two now.

Violante smiled, and she shook her head saying, "No, you're... you're too kind." The universe would thank her for nothing — not after the things she'd done in her life. But, she supposed it mattered she was... better, now. She shook these thoughts away, then just beckoned to the man. "I thought I scented some deer earlier — they love the river." Violante led the way, and sure enough, they eventually came upon tracks, with deer scent hanging heavy in the air. It smelled like at least two, maybe three. They could have their choice, and whatever they didn't finish would go straight back home.

he trotted behind the nymph, letting her guide him like a man enchanted (which he was). there came a point where he forgot the purpose of their excursion fully, and merely enjoyed his serene, riverside walk with a beautiful young woman.

then she found the deertracks, and slavo turned serious - mockingly so. he played at intently sniffing the tracks for a minute or so, before lifting his head and saying with a sheepish, good-humoured smile;

"apolojies, ai faer ai'ev nou haund blad in mai veins aefter aell."

he let her be the guide once again, until they came upon a pair of young does grazing in the tall grass, which conveniently hid the hunters.

slavuj neared his head to the nymph's, and whispered. "ai am nou more ae haund than ai vas minutes ago. deez baerd shall follow yeour lead, mai artemis." and he took a step back, to let her for the third time guide him in the ways of her people.

Her hunting partner scented the tracks she'd found, then apologized with a sheepish grin. "No need to apologize," she told him softly, a corner of her mouth lifting slightly in a small half-smile. She examined the tracks again, then took off at a gentle lope until she found the deer.

Two, grazing with heads bent down. They smelled young, and healthy. Both good targets. "The one on the left," she murmured, ears falling back as she began to edge closer. "Can you circle around, chase it to me?" She could lie in wait, hidden in the tall grass.

he nodded, mock serious and soldierly. despite the rumblings of his gut, it was the bard's priority to have fun. food is quickly digested, but experiences last eternal!

they split, and slavuj began circling trough the grass. the sneaking was done without half the care required for the job, and halfway to the right position, the targeted doe's head rose, slender ears rotating to track his progress.

it was a good thing the animal seemed utterly baffled by him.

"ahh, оде опрез дођавола."

he burst out the grass, properly startling the other doe. the way it called as it ran, it seemed to be shouting for the other. but that young thing was perplexed, not so certain that the thing before it was hunter at all. it even split its attentions to partially turn its head and attempt to calm its comrade, giving slavuj a window of opportunity to turn his own head towards the dark artemis.

now or never, his quick glance meant to convey.

He was not the most adept hunter, but who was she to judge? Violante kept her gaze on him and the does, waiting. The male rushed from the grass, their quarry seeming confused. Then, the Vicera and Slavuj locked eyes; she nodded, then streaked from the grass like a bullet. She aimed a swift snap at the doe's heel, then pulled away. It now ran with one hind leg in the air. Violante smirked at her hunting partner, barking gleefully, "Your move!"

what move? slavuj had as much talent for the hunt as the quarry they now surrounded, if not less if measured by exposure. still, there was a certain aesthetic that needed be matched, and so he did his best to not disappoint his dark artemis.

no idea what part to bite, how to maneuver to it or avoid certain trampling by panicked hooves, the komondor let his body guide him and

rolled a d20, result was... 6. minus 2 bc my guy can only fish lol 

ended up crashing into the very limbs he thought might kill him.

the result was tripping up the doe, yes, maybe aiding the woman in felling it, indeed - but a hoof caught him in the side and expelled all air out of him, the new experience so shockingly introduced the komondor rolled and ended up still in the grass, for a long moment certain he was conscious to feel himself be killed by a herbivore.

Her companion was not much of a hunter, but everyone had to start somewhere. Even so, Violante winced as Slavuj tripped up their quarry and got the wind knocked out of him. The Vicera rushed forth, teeth slapping at the heels of the doe. It bolted, and she quickly tried to help him get up, before racing off after their prey.

after the initial pang of cold fear, it became evident that he was still living. this confirmation was enough for him to laugh and grin as his artemis tried to help him up, waving her away with a paw conveying "i'm fine, i'm fine", despite his actual words being in serbian.

so he remained on the ground, pain in his side throbbing like a drum, listening to the sounds of the hunt.

ah, was the sky not just gorgeous?

The hunt was up to her. She chased and snapped at the legs of the doe, but it was luck that really ended the chase. The doe's foreleg got caught in an unseen burrow, and it fell. A sickening crack was heard as the doe's leg broke, and the Vicera fell upon it with mercy. Once it was dead, she returned to Slavuj. "Well done," she chuckled quietly, her eyes alight with mischief. "And good hunting. Let's eat." She moved back to their quarry, tearing into it.

he hummed a tune, swaying his head side to side, until the moment his artemis's dark visage popped into view, the sunrays encircling her in a halo that briefly stole his breath.

he grinned at her, gave a bark, and rolled back onto his paws. he followed her to where she had with such power and grace felled a doe.

briefly silencing the wailings of his stomach, slavuj watched the wolfess tear into the still-bleeding, hot meat of the cervid. a princess of impeccable dinnertable manners.

( he likewise bit and tore, albeit he found the hide tough and the meat plain, having gotten used to seafood, fish and gulls. )

"mm, eh-koo-squeeze-it!" the man moaned with a bloodied goatee, and had he the fingers would've accompanied it with a chef kiss. "aes expected ouf ae goddess ouf th' hunt! th' soil-coated madame vho so jenerously fed a wanjerer." the praises came unbidden as slavuj looked not at the huntress, but the sky, as if speaking to the very gods of this one's great skill and hospitality.

They feasted together, Slavuj showing the Vicera in compliments. She chuckled quietly, and she said, "But of course, it was my pleasure." She moved away from the kill, cleaning her fur and face, and she said, "You know, I am always recruiting. If you've an interest in a pack, we would love to have you." Even if he did not stay. Sacrarium still needed numbers, with so many mouths to feed.

once done, slavuj politely burped into his paw. he enjoyed her company.

just not enough not to tense at the mention of a pack.

"...ah. ah! nou nou nou." he shook his tasseled head with a goofy smile. "paeck laif ies naut fer mi! ai aem maen ouf tchravel, ouf freed'm aend th' wild!" he accompanied this with appropriate dramatics.

"ai thaenk thee, bet nou. yeau ken fiend bettch'r thaen mi." the bard grinned at the flesh and bone artemis.

with a hop he got onto his feet.

"vell, ai vill be leavingh nau." slavuj bowed deeply. "thaenk yeau again, for gifts ouf food..." he looked at her trough his bangs, smirking. "aend gift ouf yeur comp'ny."

He did not want to stay. The Vicera let out a soft, quiet sigh — it was a pity, really. They needed all the bodies they could get. If you're ever passing through, feel free to visit. He seemed a nice man, if a bit of an oddity.

He got up to leave, and Violante did the same, dipping her head politely at his many thanks. It was my pleasure, she promised him with a small smile. She moved, then, to cut away meat from the carcass; this would feed Sacrarium for a day or so. The rest would be left out for other passersby — Violante did not want others to hunt her land, but she did not mind leaving them Sacrarium's leftovers. They would all survive another day for this.

Casting one last glance at Slavuj, the Vicera turned and headed back for the sanctuary of her forest.