Blacktail Deer Plateau Trips and dips and daisies

Ash Paw didn't want the dreadfather to think she wouldn't live up to her end of the bargain. She was willing to step into a position to help him. He would be leader, she would help where she could. It gave her a place to settle and he was at the very least tolerant of her gods. 

So with dainty pawstep she traced her footfalls through his trails. Leaving her own mark on the plateau. She sniffed and snuffled, following the trail of herbs and plants, being sure to mark them in a mental map upon her mind. She would remember to scratch it into a wall, when she got back to her own den, a crude map of where they were making a home.

She squatted at the border, then tore claws along the ground and brushed fur against trees and rocks.

though dividing his time between border marking, filling caches, and tending to the daedra's alters in the sacred hallow is a juggling act, it is one that ingram performs eagerly. he is grateful for the purpose.

after filling some of the food caches, he then methodically moves to the alter were he drapes them in tattered bits of dried seaweed; sniffing at the crisp, cool autumn air that moves thru the plateau's trees. he spends a few hours tending to that, thinking of which bones he might leave before ultimately heading to the borders.

he crosses ash paw's trail soon and lets out a low chuff to announce his presence to her when their paths finally intersect.

Ash Paw had not set up her own worshipping area yet. She was more concerned with marking the borders and filling caches. She of course continued to sacrifice what she could, when she could, but she had yet to fully build her altars. 

As she walked a low sound reached her ears. Head perked up, tiny ears swiveling to and fro, draped in her usual pelage of tawny and black, minus the gore for now. She gives a dip of her head when bright blue eyes find the Caribbean colored daedras.

Hello. Tending to the borders too? Did we have anymore recruits? 

She had yet to see anyone, but herself and Ingram, but she imagined he was finding people to bring into the fold. He was fairly more of a roamer than she.

Thank you for teh seaweed by the way.

If he didn't bring that back timewise yet I will delete it.

nah, that's fine! i usually play fast & loose with my timelines, lol.

it is one of the few places i can undoubtedly be found. especially since they were still foundling. until they had solid foundation and probably even after: ingram could be found at the borders. a few. ingram replies with a simple roll of his shoulders in a shrug. recruiting also took up a big slice of ingram's time though he was loathe to depart from the plateau for too long.

a twitch of his ear is given; a soft shift of his weight upon the leaf littered earth.

i figured i might as well make that trip useful. ingram's way of saying 'you're welcome' with a ghosting, wiry smile tugging at the edges of his scarred lips.

I used too, but with like Rodyn and Amalia, because they are so ingrained and have tasks to d for their pack. I have to mind them a little more lol

Ash gave a soft chuckle, and continued her foray of the borders. Tail sweeping in happy arcs behind her, relaxed body moving along them. She supposed she could be a little more wound, and usually she was. But today she felt good and happy.

I will have to seek them out.

Azure eyes met his sea eyes and she wrinkled her nose with a soft huff. I suppose so yes. Speaking of are you okay away from the sea? You seemed to like Sedna's realm.

when we have enough bodies, ingram begins, salmon pink tongue drawling across his scarred muzzle. i will hold a feast where the wolves of basilica will dine and get to know one another. community is important. it was part of the reason he believed that blackwater had, in the end, fallen apart. the total disconnect.

a community could thrive...but it could only thrive if the wolves apart of it were a community.

sedna? ingram inquires; this name not one of the two gods she had mentioned prior. he assumes, naturally, that her gods are many like the daedra. i am fine. he seeks to assure. i was not born to be a seawolf.

Ash Paw stopped to listen to him, head tilted to teh side. I like that. Though, i must say we need big meat for that, and I'm never hunting anything larger than me.

She liked community, it made sense, especially given everything that she had seen happen. Her familial unit had failed, because there weren't enough, and then Sacrarium had fallen to the wayside, because the family was in turn more doting upon each other than all.

Ash Paw nodded. She is a goddess in inuit culture. But it has bases in Sos/Atka, Shearwater. She is the goddess of the sea and marine animals.

Ash Paw smiled up at him. The sea had a melancholy effect on me.

not necessarily, ingram replies after a moment of thought. not if everyone brought something they caught. but it was true, he considers after another quiet moment, that hunting big game would help fill their food caches quicker.

at any rate, they did not have enough numbers to have a good chance of being successful.

the name of the culture she offers has no bearing upon him but he tucks it away all the same. if ingram has learned anything in his short span of life it was that information was power and even the most trivial could — one day perhaps — be useful. i thought you only had your atka and sos. ingram murmurs in contemplation, because he was curious if nothing else.

he pauses and marks the borders, claws scraping the hardening ground.

without my nightwife there is no reason for me to stay by the sea. and there was a better chance of survival — in general but also from the weather — if they weren't being constantly battered by the cold winds of the sea. this plateau feels like it is a good place.

Ash Paw wrinkled her brow in thought and then nodded. I didn't think of that, but this is true. And I am sure, catching a brace of something small would be easily done.

Ash Paw nodded. And then furrowed her brow. It is whom i follow, but the culture that Atka/Sos come from, that my granma followed. They had spirits and other small gods and goddesses, spirit walks. There were shamans and even spirit guides. The leaders and main gods were Atka and Sos.

Ash's ears lay to her head. I am sorry you're nightwife is still missing. I hope you can find her again, if you wish too.


Ash Paw's tail wriggled as did her body give a soft wiggle. I think so too. I like it. The herbs are abundant. Even if I cannot save all the gardens and caches. There are so many that I can find. It would be a task for spring.

indeed, the dreadfather murmurs, scarred lips twitch upwards into a ghost of a smile. and if they are not hunters they can bring fruits — a pause is given. if any can still be found. is added as a soft afterthought, forgetting for a wild moment that the chill in the air meant food might be scarce and that death of flora was inevitable.

hmm, the noise, contemplative in its nature, lingers in ingram's throat. your gods do not seem terribly unlike the daedra. he offers as he pauses to rub his side against a tree; the rough bark snagging bits of his fur.

ingram makes a noncommittal noise in his throat; this was not unusual for his nightwife and him. these acts of disappearing and re-appearing. if they were not meant to be together in this life: there would be others.

perhaps then you might have an apprentice or another full-fledged healer to help you in such a task. much could change between now and spring...and there was no telling what manner of wolves would find their way to the plateau.

Ash Paw eyed him and chuckled. Apples are prevalent during this time, and there's not just fruits you know. There are also vegetables. Pumpkins, etc etc. Though they are harder to find. They are not entirely lost causes.

Ash Paw made a soft hum in her throat. There are even some plants, that bear the winter's cold winds and fight against it. There are flowers mostly, but I imagine there are some herbals out there that also use the chill the thrive.

Ash Paw scoured tiny paw claws against the ground and dug deep in to leave the marks of her and the pack now.

Ash Paw lifted her head. Hopefully I could work well enough with others to teach.

i am not very well versed on fruits and ...vegetables. he tries the word out on his tongue; twisting it strangely to convey how he felt about the word. he was of the general assumption anything that wasn't meat was either for healing, killing or a fruit — a very black and white view of what he knew next to nothing of.

well, ingram drawls; smoky timbre taking on a wily, teasing tone. you've done well with me so far. and given the violent nature of their very first meeting: all hope was not lost. for either of them.

Ash Paw laughed now her laughter trilling and sing song. Listen to you. Your distaste evident when you haven't even tried it.

She chuckled to herself again and shook her tawny and black head. They aren't as good as meat of course, but sometimes paired together it can taste good. Some berries with meat taste good, some vegetables, though I haven't every found many of those.

Ash Paw gave a soft huff. So far yes. But Say I am in the middle of teaching and someone touches something without asking. You really think i won't be the one to slap their paw?

She eyed him with azure eyes, as she scratched her fur along a branch. Though I suppose if I you and I can have a friendship now after our disastrous first meeting. I can handle most anyone.

the word just sounds disgusting. ingram huffs, not even trying to hide the dramatic flair he's adopted as they continue talking about the strange not-fruits she calls vegetables. sometimes you do not have to try something to know you will not like it.

a soft rumble forms and lingers in ingram's throat at her proposed scenario. it would be easy, and very hypocritical of him, to simply tell her: don't swat at them. if someone touched his threadbones they'd lose a toe. he wouldn't be so kind as swatting them. i see your point. is what he offers in a theoterical olive branch.

a stranger thing has not surely happened. he ( partially ) jests, lifting his leg to mark a squat boulder. a few moments of silence is given before he draws in a breath to speak once moe. i might be in and out of the territory soon: looking for recruits. but i promise not to stray too far.

Ash Paw stares at him down her nose, a small smirk about her lips, the light merrily dancing in her eyes. His dramatics and theatrics. She is just learning and they fill her with endless amusement.

Ash Paw snorted. You see my point, because you would do the same thing, or worse. She snorted again, drawing herself up with barely hidden amusement yet again, before she also left her bodies water on the borders, Blue eyes tracing the plateau in all it's glory.

Blue eyes turned to his and a strange feeling unfurled. Was it that she would actually miss this dark man. Possibly. He was the closest thing she had in the wilds of the teekon next to Gunnar and she hadn't seen him in weeks.

May your travels be swift, and your bounties large.

feel free to either archive as is or archive with your reply. <3

we will see. ingram drawls sagely at her speaks of swift journeys and large bounties ...though largely he means the large bounty part. recruitment had a fifty-fifty chance of success and given the more religious nature that ingram had in mind for basilica it was likely more of a thirty-fifty. even though he does not intend to push the religious aspect of the culture upon anyone who sought a home within the budding ranks didn't mean they might not unintentionally feel pressure all the same.

it would be a delicate dance, this... but a dance ingram finds himself willing to risk all the same.

i will try to space my small recruitment drives out ...at least until we have a few more bodies. once we have grown a bit then i will remain within the plateau. for, as the sole leader, it would be where he would be needed most.

i will come find you when i leave. i trust you can keep an eye on things while i am gone for a few days time. with this assesment, he falls silent. focusing on the patrol, border marking and the strange change between them.

Thank you for the thread <3

Ash Paw knows veritably nothing about packs and forming, she is learning. Definitely learning. However, she still has much to go. She does know though that it can be fickle to choose and learn. 

I met a pirate boy upon the shores, gave me the name of Quen. He was near Stavanger bay and Shield Maiden Sorrow. He may come along, were you to offer up my name.

She wasn't sure if the youth would agree, or even want to come. He seemed to like the sea, but she had promised him she would seek him out and she hadn't. She should probably make her own foray back into the coast, at least for him. To say hello.

She drew herself up and looked down her nose at him. Her haughtiness pushing to the forefront. Of course I can.