Silvertip Mountain What is Love?

Tagging @Chaska because he wanted to do a thread :D

Keeping her gaze locked onto the forest view, the burly female rested her head atop her paws as she laid on her belly, her eyes looking out and around her. She hadn't gone out exploring today, she hadn't been feeling up to it. Something had been eating away at her today, she felt as if something was missing from her life, something essential.

Then it clicked. She was missing affection from some wolf. Not really in a intimate way, but in a way that she just wanted to be comforted with. None of the wolves (which she was still adjusting to) seemed very open to her, well not yet at least. She felt very isolated, except for the male she had met earlier who seemed to suffer from amnesia and a head injury. He at least gave her some company.

She let out a sigh and lifted her head, letting her paws fall over the edge of the rock that was near the den sight. Even in a pack, she still felt as if she was alone. Even though life was tougher at home, we we're at least close to each other... She had always felt like an outsider, even with her siblings as a pup. She was closer to her parents more than anything, her siblings were just family members.

Chaska was at it again. He had found her scent. This time, he was planning a different approach. What kind of girl doesn't like a bit of story-telling? It would definitely show the kind of imagination he had, but really, it just came to him. As if he knew it before. Although, the fact he knew it before the accident didn't bother him at all.

Finally, he found her. Just lying there. Looking...lonely. "Well, now it's my time to give company" he thought to himself as he strut over to her, stopping a full body length from her. He remained standing, angling his head in a way that it looked like a smolder.

"What's got you down?" he asked, this time leaving out anything like 'dear', or 'honey'. Which was good. For his sake. "I think I have something to cheer you up."

Laying there, listening to the calls of the birds and the scattering of their feathers from their wings, the large female felt her glassy eyes wander around the empty tree limbs to try to follow them. Her attention was changed when she heard Chaska start to walk over, she merely turned her head to cast a look at him, before turning her eyes back to the forest in front of her.

Hearing his words, asking about her state, she felt a tiny whimper escape her mouth, almost inaudibly. She flattened her ears a bit and shook her head softly at him. Taking in a silent breath, she felt a little surprised at his remark to cheer her up. She could've snarled at him, she could've chased him off. But she didn't. She nodded her head at him, urging him to follow up with his proposal. Although he wasn't a main choice for entertainment or affection, that didn't mean he was a bad choice. Just not the first.

"You do?" She asked, almost in a whisper, her voice soft and this time, full of emotion.

Something definitely had her down. Chaska didn't hear the whine, but when she shook her head, he understood she didn't want to talk about it. Obviously. He couldn't bear to see her like this. So when she nodded head to when he said he had something to cheer her up, it lightened the mood.

He nodded his own head. "Yep. A story I thought up." This wasn't the whole truth, as it was more like he remembered it. But that was the way he put it, and stuck with it. He cleared his throat, then began.

"In a forbidden forest, filled with creatures of all sorts, a lone wanderer came upon it. He had travelled far and wide, searching for something. What he searched for, though, he did not know. All he knew was that he was compelled to move forward. Onward, and onward into unknown lands." He paused to catch breath, then goes on.

"But one day, he came across a stream. His journey had brought thirst to him. He began to drink, not knowing something was nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a rabbit. Along with thirst, he was hungry. Just seeing it made his mouth water. So he charged it, catching it in his jaws. And at the same time, he heard something skid to a stop nearby." Another pause, this time to see how she liked it.

With her attention on Chaska, her glassy eyes started to become filled with a wonder. She hadn't been told stories for a while, this one already lightened her mood a little. It reminded her of her days when she was a puppy, where she had no care in the world.

Although it was just a story, she felt a little connected to it. She was a loner on a search for nothing known, but knowing she had to do something. She smiled at his story and words, her tail wagging next to her legs. Her ears turned forward towards him, she nodded her head and urged him to keep going.

Never too old to be told stories. Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought.... Maybe I should give him a chance...

Chaska studied her reaction. She seemed to be enjoying it so far. So his plan was working. Or was it? It didn't matter. At least he cheered her up. And that was step one of his plan. So he went on with the story.

"The lone wanderer looked up to see another wolf growling down at him from a fallen log. Her eyes were fixed on his kill, but his were fixed on her. Studying every feature on her. She had a gash on her side. Finally, she spoke. 'That was my kill.'

The male scanned her over again. She looked so weak. So without hesitation, he gave the rabbit to her, placing it right under her nose. She looked at the rabbit, then back to the male. Never had anyone been so generous. With a huff, she dropped down and picked it up, before wandering off." He paused again, for the same reason as the last. Soon, he would come upon the point that would tip the story over.

With her eyes focused on Chaska, the female had a content look on her face. As she listened to his story, the male sounded so generous, and the female sounded blunt and cold. As she focused more on his words, her mind started to tune into the words as they fell from his mouth.

She then motioned to him to keep going, her mind becoming excited with each new part of the story. "Keep going." She whispered to him, a smile gracing her features. She felt a warm feeling return in her chest as she continued to listen. Why did the female not say thank you? Was she oblivious? Hurt? Scared?

He chuckled lightly. "Are you enjoying this tale?" he asked, although the answer could only be invisible to the most oblivious of all. Which he was not. "Very well."

"The next day, the female did not need to venture out for food. She awoke to the smell of a fresh kill, and when she came out of her small den, she found another rabbit on the ground. And the familiar scent of the wolf nearby. She smelt him nearby. But she did not thank him. Instead, she began to eat.

This went on for the next week. She never worried about how the male was feeling, or thought about why he did this. Until one day, when she came out, and found not one, but four rabbits. And him, sitting there. Waiting for something."

As the words of the story continued, the burly female felt guilty as he spoke. It sounded as if he was threading in their past experience with each other before into the story now. How she turned him down, didn't really do anything to help besides finding him and escorting him home. She wondered where the tale would take the turn or what would happen.

"Waiting for what?" She asked, her curiosity peaking. She felt as if she was a pup listening to her grandparent's stories about their ancestors and the morals of the pack. I probably sound immature, but this story is pretty good. Chaska isn't that bad as I thought...

Now his legs began to tire, so he let his paws slide out from underneath, ending up on his belly. Chaska let off a quick smile. "Well, you'll have to wait, now won't you?" He cleared his throat again, and went on.

"He had grown so thin from the lack of food, yet she had been in a healthy state. Even her wound had healed. ‘You must be wandering why I do this for you. It is because I feel something for you. I give you these, as a symbol of giving my life to you.’

Her reaction was not at all what he expected, nor what he deserved. She walked over to him, picked up the rabbits, and hurried off. That was the last anyone ever saw of the lone wanderer...Until a week later."

Hearing how the female treated the male wolf, Krypton felt a twinge of anger boil in her, however her face remained calm. She started to lose her sights from around her and started to mainly focus on what's happening in the story. She had listened to stories before and tapped into a simple mindset before, but as an adult, she hadn't been this focused on a story (considering she hadn't been told any stories for almost a year).

She started to wag her tail more, her ears hungry for more. She began to fear about the lone's health, what if he died from starving? She laughed at herself for caring for a mere character in a story, but she felt connected and in tuned with it. Urging him to keep going, her eyes stayed glued onto Chaska as if she was a puppy.

Now, the story was to come to a close. He had gotten her so excited over it. He could see that. Her tail was wagging so much it had almost become a blur in his eyes. Her eyes were ever so expectant.

"The female had found herself a mate. And on one night, he had gone out for a hunt. When she was alone, a bright light flashed before her. It manifested into a being. The form of the lone wanderer. His face was contorted by anger. His eyes were gone from their sockets, sunken deep into the skull.

‘After all I did, you doomed me to this fate! Now, I shall doom you to a fate even more terrifying!” A blinding flashed, and he was gone. When her mate returned, he ran away in horror. For she had been cursed with a face no one could ever love." He stopped there, inching a little closer.

"So how was it? Was it to your liking?" he asked. He had to know if his plan worked. His tail wagged a little as he awaited an answer.

Flicking her ears at his words, the female felt her heart drop as Chaska spoke about how the female left the male, how she didn't show any kindness. She felt guilt eat away at her more. She has pushed him away, and here he is again. She would have to maybe put up with him, but it would be nice, wouldn't it?

As Chaska asked about the story, she could only smile at him more as her tail wagged at him. "It was amazing. They moral in it, just everything was perfect!" She said happily, her eyes closed with content. She twitched her ears a bit, opening her eyes to look around the forest. She felt a small frown form on her lips though as she went back to her thoughts.

"I'm sorry. For the way I treated you..." She said, her ears flattening against her head. She had never been one to be wooed so easily, but she couldn't just let herself become so isolated and cold that no one could speak to her. She could at least try to make it up to him.

As it turned out, his plan didn't work out as he thought it would. He only made her feel guilt. Probably made things worse for her. But then she commented on his story, and brightened right up. He couldn't help but let off a small smile. "Well, it was mine, after all" he remarked. Which would probably earn a roll of the eyes. Or a bop on the head with her paw for being a little self-centered.

He too lowered his head, his tail growing still. He never meant for that, and never expected an apology. Ever. There was a long, awkward silence. "Thanks." He never knew his boundaries, but now he certainly did. He didn't even think of any ways she could make it up, because he simply couldn't. he wanted to woo her, not make her feel bad.

Hearing his normal confident words, the female chuckled at his words, shaking her head softly. "I gotta admit, that story was pretty awesome." She said, perking her ears up at him. She felt warm after hearing the story, it reminded her of her homeland before she left. She turned her gaze towards the forest, watching the snow start to fall from the cloudy sky.

"You know, I've never really had someone do this for me that wasn't related. We didn't have wolves our age when we were little." She said, her attention focused on the trees that were growing white. "Thank you Chaska. It means a lot." she said,turning her head and offering a smile. Turning back towards the forest, she let out an inaudible sigh, her ears relaxed.As the snow fell, it started to sprinkle against her dirt-colored fur.

"Were did you learn to story tell?" She asked, the topic peaking her interest.

He gave a curious look to her. She hadn't mentioned anything about her past, but he was sure it wouldn't bother him. Unless she was a murderous character back in the past. Then that would worry him a bit. He gave a nod, edging a little more closer. He was almost right beside her, and gave her a comforting nudge. But then, he was distracted by a snowflake that touched him on the nose. He quickly turned his head away and let off a little sneeze.

"I honestly can't remember. Memory loss, remember?" he asked, tapping his head with a paw. In doing so, it brought a small ache to the area of where the bump had been. "Wow. Still hurts."

Kryp will probably tell her backstory later, not very sure yet

The tawny female nodded her head at Chaska's words. She felt sorry for him that he had lost his memory. She remembered how FitzDutiful had explained how Chaska used to act before his little accident. She let out a yawn and saw how his paw rubbed the top of his head and heard him wince.

"It still hurts? Maybe there are some plants that could help with the pain around here." She said, offering him a soft look on her face. She hadn't been one to reach out to help the unknown, but he was known. He was a pack member, a family member. It couldn't be too hard to find some kind of herbs around here.

"What if we go look for them? They can't be too far out." Her adventurous side started to kick in, she felt her tail start to wag. Although her last encounter with Chaska (being alone and everything) ended poorly, it didn't mean it would again. It's the least I can do for him, he made me happy.

Chaska rubbed his head some more. He didn't know much about plants, but he could recall something about some being...deadly. And he would rather not die by a plant. He wasn't even sure if she knew anything about them either. And if she got the wrong one, she could get both or one of them killed by poison in a plant. Honestly, he did not agree with the plan.

But then she suggested that they go on a little 'adventure' to find some. And her tail started to wag, so his did too. More time to 'get to know each other'. "Sure. Why not?" he replied, getting to his feet and stretching them out just in front of Krypt's paws. At first, he wanted them to touch. But then he remembered that it would probably get rid of her good mood, and withdrew them.

He started off, stopping a few steps away as he waited for her to catch up. And since it was her suggestion, he doubted she would stay where she lay. "You coming?" he asked, casting a glance back.

As her glassy eyes flashed over his face, she noted he seemed to not be up to the adventure. However, when she became excited, he did as well. It was as if he was mirroring her to gain attention of some sort. She smiled reassuringly to him. "I've studied plants before. I will make sure we get the correct ones." She said, getting up from her laying position and walking next to Chaska.

With shorter strides, she started to make her way down the trail, her eyes looking at the ground. Her first ideas of plants were feverfew and butterbur, those two had the best results from her own experience. However, butterbur could only be found in marshy areas, and that would be a long trek in order to find one. Along with it being time consuming, it would be dangerous since it's the middle of winter.

If she failed to find the white flower of feverfew, peppermint was next on the list. She kept her eyes scanning the area of the trail, just in case any plants could be of use. "Look for a white flower, yellow circle on the inside. Small and grows in bunches." She said, tossing a look towards Chaska. If they were lucky, a few would still be alive and ready to be used.

Krypton caught up, matching his strides. Well that's reassuring, he thought to himself. Of course she knew about plants. No doubt, everyone but him did. At least, that's what he wondered. And it would make sense, with his memory missing. Just gone with the wind, like dust. Gone. And as far as he knew, it might not be coming back.

He slowed more then her, following her down the trail from behind. Her eyes going back and forth along the trail. If only he knew what the plants she wanted looked like. And he voiced his thoughts. "Um, what do they look like? The plants, that is."

She answered his question right after. All he had to look for was a white flower, with a yellow circle. Growing in bunches. "Right, white flowers. Yeah, that should be easy...with the ground having snow!" he exclaimed. The snow would make it near impossible, even with the yellow circles. When she looked back, he had a questioning look. Awaiting a reply to his sarcasm.

Hearing his sarcastic words, the tawny female's ears fell back against  her head. She eyed him with a quirked brow, her tail starting to sway more as she walked. She felt a growl start to grow from her lungs, but she bit her tongue and kept her mouth clamped down. She would've bit one of his ears off, but FitzDutiful wouldn't be very happy if that happened. She cursed herself to be put in this bad situation and let out a sigh.

"It is not hard when it is light out still as it is now." She said calmly. She was going to snap at him, but it wasn't worth it to her. She wanted to help, even with his salty words. She shook her heads and kept her eyes down towards the base of the trees. Perhaps they would travel farther, but the plants were supposed to be close around the territory.

"Do you want to get rid of the head pain or not?" She asked in a metallic tongue, her tail tucked neatly against her left hind leg.

Did he do something wrong? Of course he did. The sigh he heard from her said it all. Around her, he just couldn't help himself. Yes, he wanted to stop the pain. But in his words, there were some truth. It would be tough with all the snow. Although, the sunlight would help in the search for them. He nodded his head to her words. One thing he enjoyed about her was her responses. Some of them being sassy. "Of course I do. What kind of guy wants a headache for the rest of his life?" he rhetorically questioned.

Some steps further ahead, he spotted something. Something that matched the description of the flowers she described. White flowers with a yellow circle around the inner rim. He stopped, side-stepping to the bunch. "This the flowers we are looking for?" he asked. They matched the description, but there could be a whole bunch of flowers that look alike. "I really hope it is" he muttered to himself. If it wasn't, he'd be stuck with a throbbing head for a long time.

Hearing the male's words about the throbbing pain, she merely nodded her head at his words. No wolf would want to live with a blistering headache their entire life. She turned her head when he spoke about the flower, asking if it was the right one.

She first took a stare at the flower. It had the white petals, yellow center and it was in a bunch. She then took a glance at the leaves. They were the correct shape, having the several splits into sections. She nodded her head at him, thankful he had a keen eye. However, she took a step closer to smell it. If it had the right musky scent, then it would be correct.

It made her nose almost curl itself over, the odor wasn't pleasant. "These are it. Chew upon the leaves and swallow. The taste will be bitter, but it shall relieve you of pain for a while. It may take time before it completely goes away." She said, grabbing a two or three stems of the plants which held the flowers and leaves. If he needed this more, they would have some. "Well have to keep a few just in case it returns." She said, her words a little muffled from the stems she held in her mouth.

Chaska took a sniff at the flowers. Right away, he felt the musky odor that wrinkled his nose. It would make those with weak stomachs wretch at the stench. He reared his head away from in her general direction, giving her a questioning look. "That? I have to..eat that?" he asked, pausing in between for a gulp. He did want to get rid of the headache.

"Look, if this is some sort of payback for my advances to you, just say it! That's all you got to do." But deep within, he believed this wasn't payback. Then again, maybe it partially was. She seemed very genuine about it.

Looking back at it, he stuck out his tongue, and licked it. Before the taste could kick in, he snagged a few leaves off with his teeth, and started chewing. It only took one chew before his face seized up, his chewing slowed. His eyes squelched down, a shiver running down his spine with every crunch. Once done, he sent a glare at her. "I'll get you for this" he whispered.

I'm so sorry XD

With her mouth full of the flowers, she nodded her head as Chaska asked about eating the specific flowers that were feverfew. She merely blinked her eyes as an answer to yes if the nod wasn't enough. Although it did not hold onto the best smell or taste, it would surely help.

"Ish a bad test I know, I ate them befoore to treet shtomach pain. But shey help." She stumbled on her words, knowing she failed when the plant started to release it's bitter taste onto her tongue.

When he stated about payback, she shook her head for a no. "If I wished to get chu back, I woulda done sho aready." She mumbled out, her ears relaxed. She felt her tongue want her to spit out the leaves, but she couldn't, she needed them for Chaska. Her ears picked up on his tiniest words of revenge, making her quirk an eye.

"Get meh back chu shay? Thash' funny." She laughed at his words. Although she would sleep with an eye open every night, it would be funny if he tried. She turned around and started to walk back to where they came from. She looked back towards Chaska and motioned to him to follow with a sweep of her muzzle.