Emberwood someone say a hail mary for this house

tagging: @Larkspur @Pippin @Silas @Harlyn @Little Voice @Shikoba — this is part two of our little adventures oh no. sorry for any rockiness on my part, it is not very easy to type when you have an injured and sore hand! :C

With the onslaught of insects adding insult to a rather raw injury, Mordecai had brought them swiftly to the west. The bugs did not seem too interested in them though an obvious nuisance; they scattered from the paths the wolves took and gave little resistance in letting them go where they desired.

However, what they seemed interested in was the local flora, and they were taking quick work of pulling flowers down and tearing through whatever else was waiting in their buggy reach. But it was not a comforting sight all the same, seeing the ground ahead of him teem with pockets of the locusts. It all moved and like a bad trip he hoped maybe they could escape them with the cover of the mountains that were also now looming ahead. If anything, he hoped to find a path that would lead them upwards into the mountains easily, or otherwise they'd be forced to go around them completely.

Wordlessly, he peered back on the trailing group to ensure they were there. With a silent head count performed, he ventured ahead and into yet another forest that already shimmered and crawled in waves of the pests.

murder by death — devil in mexico

The path was long and rigorous for the injured wolf, her shoulder threatened to give in at any moment. He locusts were less in numbers, but we're still there no doubt.

Shikoba has forced herself to eat a few just to sustain consciousness and hydration. The west area was being picked clean by locusts, the native felt her heart tear into two pieces. Beautiful flora gone.

Mordecai was up ahead before turning to Count the family. It seemed everyone was there, so he went on.

Feeling guilt well inside of her chest, Shikova decided to move up closer with him, hoping to help him scout.

Ouch, sorry about your hand, Ku!

As they moved through this strange post-apocalpyse, the world de-greened and devoured, Little Voice looked around with silent interest. Thanks to the presence and comfort of the pack, his adventurous spirit was slowly returning, though his confidence wasn't. Perhaps it never would. Still, there was something to be said for that albeit very small thrill of excitement in his heart. Everything was rather scary, true, though Little Voice was too naive to wrap his head around the urgency of having three young pups and no home or source of food. Instead, his golden eyes kept themselves trained on the road ahead, and gazed curiously up at the mountain range. Where were they going? The small Arctic Wolf walked with Harlyn and looked at her with this exact question in his eyes.

Tears streaked little Larkspur's face, a litany of muted moans and gasping sobs leaking from her every so often as a locust made impact with her small body. She flinched badly, every single time, simply unable to tamp her knee-jerk reaction. She couldn't bear it, yet nor she could escape it. All she could do was stick close to her family, fight the overwhelming anxiety and hope the nightmarish swarm would end—and that they would go home—soon.

Her heart was dark as the displaced Alpha strode solemnly at the back of their traveling band. She felt so overwhelmed by everything that had happened to their family; that was happening even now. Harlyn was a lover of nature, and so what she now saw brought such terrible heartache to get. The spring blooms were gone. Green seemed to have been sapped from the world entirely. It was as though ever blade of grass, every flower bud, and every leaf upon every tree had been replaced by a terrible brown insect that hummed and twitched and sucked away life itself into its disgusting body. There was a time when the Druid would have seen the wisdom of the gods in this; when she would have called this fate and deemed it a signs of hopeful new beginnings. She felt nothing of that former idealistic optimism now, surrounded by gloom and plague and the pitiful cries of her children.

Somewhere ahead of her, Shikoba had moved to join Mordecai, and beside her she felt Little Voice attempting to steal a glance. Harlyn's eyes were only for Larkspur as her little girl sobbed with each step. It was absolute torture, beyond all that the pack had thus far endured, to see her children so distraught. Torture made even worse by the fact that she could do nothing for them. There was so escaping this plague; the creatures were everywhere they looked. They could not just settle where they stood as they were just as few in number as they'd been when they'd abandoned their claim. They were small, and they were exposed, and quite suddenly Harlyn found herself unable to go on another step the weight of all of this terrible stress upon her.

"Mordecai," Harlyn called out suddenly, stopping where she stood, "We must rest. Now." Her gaze moved to Little Voice at her side and she gave him an imploring look. "Will you watch the children for a few minutes? It must speak with my mate. Shikoba will stand guard." She spoke loud enough that all parties would hear, then leaned down to nudge her children towards the pale wolf. With a significant glance to Mordecai, she stood tall and strode away a few yards, resolve steeling in her until finally she turned to gaze at him.

His mood was sullen and his paws felt way too heavy. Silas aims to just block it all out, and ignore everything about all the horrible wrongness he felt as their travels spanned on across the miles. The bugs, the lost greenery, the unfamiliar places, the weird anticipation he felt... all of it. He wants nothing to do with it. He is worn out, hungry, and tired.

The dark pup heaves a sigh when he hears his mother call for a rest. He plops his rump down immediately, and licks gingerly at the sides of his paws -- to soothe the growing ache in them before it could get worse and in an attempt to work off his anxiousness. While he does, he hears what Harlyn is saying but decides it's mostly inconsequental to him. All he bothers to do is sluggishly pick himself back up and plods a few paces closer to Little Voice, too tired to complain.

As they trekked forward into the ruined wood, Mordecai's attention was pulled briefly as Shikoba joined him. His solitary gaze returned to the path ahead of them, though he did not entirely process the devastation that was there. In what had been a matter of days the world had lost its flourish and with that he found little reason to sift through what was around them. So long as the cougar did not descend down upon them, he thought this menace to be a fleeting thing, and therefore best he focused on getting them up and out of the valley altogether.

Harlyn's voice brought his motions to a stop. Though they had hardly taken a grueling pace, he had tried to push them further that particular day than the others. It seemed a necessary evil, but so was the necessity to bring their travels to a halt. As Harlyn joined him, he borrowed time to spare to look over their children and felt an uncomfortable prickle of concern pierce through his stoicism. It wasn't fair to them, no, but life had never been much of a fair thing; it pained him to think how this event would linger on their minds.

But it would pass, much in the way that Harlyn moved beyond their little band. He turned to follow her solemnly. He came to a halt as she did, pulling himself alongside her quietly. Though he couldn't entirely have guessed what it was that she had needed to bring to light with him, he did not anticipate it being of the good variety. Not much had been since their departure from the Hollow, as the subsequent arrival of the locusts had squashed any notion of hope he had wanted to bring to their travel.

She had fallen into a miserable spell, though it broke when her mother called out to her father, then motioned for the pups to go with one of the strangers. Larkspur paled beneath her fur, lips pressing together as her head began to shake. She was normally such an obedient pup but she couldn't stand the thought of Harlyn and Mordecai leaving her side right now. Even when her mother coaxed her, Spur simply couldn't bring herself to cooperate.

"Mommy! Daddy! No!" she wailed, breaking away from her brothers. Not even they could provide solace right now. "Don't go," Larkspur pleaded, pressing her face into her mother's leg. She shook, fearing rebuke or, worse, Harlyn pushing her away and insisting she stay behind.

Mordecai took notice to Shikoba wishing to stay with him, but returned his gaze towards their path of traveling. The native was silent, the dead land around the traveling party made her eneasy. She felt a slight breeze blow through her as if she was a shirt on a clothes line, her body becoming a bit unbalanced.

She recollected herself, but stood still when the voice of Harlyn arose. They were to rest, the two would converse with another while the white one would watch the children. Shikoba would stand guard. The native put no words out, only nodding and moving closer a bit before turning back around to scan the area. Nothing would take what was left of their family.

She could hear the cries of little Larkspur, and Shikoba wished to turn around and comfort her. She stood still though, peeling her scarred eyes to stand on point. She deceided to circle around once, smelling the dirt beneath her paws as she strode along. Shikoba paused, raising her head and peering around once more. 

The native took a breath and stood still.

Warbone had watched for some time, and waited for some time longer. His initial intention out here had been to scout for some greenery, for some place were large herds might hide, but had turned up unsuccessful in that endeavor. His hunting skills, however, were not put to waste, as he actively tracked a small band of wolves on his return route to the Keep. They had more children than they had decent adult bodies, and it was the former subject that twisted in the softening wolf's chest and made him seek for a chance to approach them without harm.

He left them at some point, seeking a stream to sate his thirst. Some lucky turn of events drew the primed hunter there at the exact same time as an unfortunate beaver, and he successfully dispatched it before returning to the area he knew the family had traveled through. He swallowed a bite of the kill, but left the rest of it intact as he tracked for the time being.

It was a while more, and he kept quite a distance, but soon he saw the two fittest of the group veering away, a single child clinging to its mother's skirts. Something happened to him then, and he remembered when they separated him from his mother, and how he had cried and screamed and clung to her feet with his teeth, begging to not become a warrior. "I don't wanna be a Warbone, MaMa! No, don't go, I wanna be with you! Don't go!" It was a year before he saw her again, but his emotions for her were different after that. It was the last time he'd been a boy.

The copper wolf trotted a wide half-circle after a while, and then made a slow approach from an angle where he would only be noticed by the partitioned male and female right away. Aware of his largeness, and the presence of children, he kept his muscles numb and came to stand as lankly as possible some yards before them, carrying the bitten beaver. He kept the distance, to further perpetuate his singularity and lack of intent, and he dropped the carcass at his feet. "I come offering peace, not problems," he called, and then he nodded towards the beaver. "For your children." He daren't make assumptions about their predicament, though he had watched them move for a day now and they all looked like they hadn't slept decently in days before his finding them. "Is your destination near?" he pried; a means to an end.

Sorry for the delay, kids! Life is trying to eat me again

Her daughter gave a cry at being pushed away by her mother. Harlyn barely noticed this as she walked away from the pack, but she was incapable of ignoring the little body that attempted to glue itself to her legs as she moved. Harlyn paused briefly and looked down at the girl, pity overwhelming her. She leaned down and picked Larkspur up by her scruff in a comforting gesture and carried her along as she moved off to speak to her mate. It wasn't that Harlyn necessarily wanted privacy away from her children so that she could speak to Mordecai - she just didn't want the distraction of having to keep an eye on them all. This one, though, would be no trouble to watch. This one wasn't about to allow even a centimeter to separate her from her parents.

Harlyn dropped to her haunches and positioned Larkspur between her from legs, pulling her protectively against her. She soothed the pup for a minute or so by grooming her ears, but then her attention shifted to Mordecai as he approached. She sought his gaze anxiously as he came to her, and wasted no time with her whispers once he was near enough to hear them.

"We need to stop," Harlyn said quietly, urgency still apparent in her hushed tone, "We can't keep putting the kids through this. Even if it's a hole in the ground that we all have to smash into for a few days, we've got to give them a break. We're hurting them." Somewhere she knew that it was illogical to stop. They were not safe out in the open, and it was not because of the locusts that crawled over every inch of the earth. But her heart was weary and her motherly instincts could no longer stand to see her cubs in such distress. Harlyn knew her mate would argue, but she was ready to fight for her point.

Fortunately, a distraction then approached that made her forget all about the conversation at hand. Harlyn's ears shot up at the sound of his call, and she pressed her daughter all the more protectively against her with a silent snarl in the stranger's direction. His words glanced over her ears and settled her fearful panic, but she did not lose the mistrustful gaze she fixed upon him as he offered the little band food and inquired about where they were headed. It was not how she usually reacted to strangers, but their situation was encouraging her more feral reflexes rather than the cool calm she typically retained. Even so, Harlyn said nothing in response to the man. She fell neatly back into her role as second in command now that Mordecai had risen again to first, and so she would let him determine how they would respond to this newcomer.

Little Voice hoped that one day the puppies would like him, but he sort of doubted it would happen any time soon. It wasn't that he was crippled with self-deprication or self-pity, he was just savvy enough to realise that he was so shy and silent that the young ones would probably not warm to him like this, unless they fell for his soft and cuddlesome appearance. He watched with mixed emotions when Larkspur was carried off with her mother, but he wasn't able to muse for long — for there was suddenly a man, mighty and regal. Little Voice's ears went so flat that his head became a sleek white helmet. Instinctively he bowed protectively over the Alpha Pups, but was otherwise rooted to the spot, watching the conversation with very wide eyes.

He would like to doze, he realizes when tiredness feels this heavy, and its tempting with the watchful eyes of Shikoba and Little Voice overhead even with his parents stepped aside. Silas had noticed Larkspur being with them, so that there is one less thing to distract him with. Almost, he lets his heavy lids droop until he hears sound of something unfamiliar.

It's not easy for him to understand the whole of it, but there is an unknown wolf among their little gathering now who spoke towards his parents. Silas watches this carefully, readied to read the cues of his sire and dam and react as accordingly as he is able. He can smell the food he brought now, too, and this is what he wants to focus on despite all of his uneasiness about the regal stranger. Silas swallows nervously, sinking low to the ground next to the pale Little Voice to wait this one out too.

I'm going to guess no posting order?

Shikoba could sense another near, one not apart of the nomadic group. In instinct, she let out a long growl. Her hackles began to flare up, along with her thin tail. She turned her head to look at the group, then took a step forward. Her golden eyes were peeled back, taking in every single detail of the land. something was out there, or at least someone. Whether that someone was a friend or not, she would stand guard.

What she saw at the corner of her eye was a wolf coming with a fresh kill. Her stomach let off a cry, a plea for sustenance. However, hunger was the least of her problems. Shikoba could feel her legs almost push her into action. The copper wolf's words calmed her though.

He meant no harm, but instead came in offering food. The food was for the little ones of coarse, they needed it the most. Shikoba did start to make her way over, just a few steps before stopping. She would leave the three in their peace and do what she was told; stand guard.

Short post to avoid removal! :o

Fortunately, her mother did not insist she stay back with her brothers. Larkspur let out a shaky breath of relief when Harlyn lifted her, the mere act of being hoisted by her scruff releasing comforting hormones into her bloodstream. She relaxed (as much as she could, anyway) and became dead weight swinging from the Alpha female's maw.

When Harlyn eventually placed her back on the ground a few minutes later, Spur made a light murmur of protest, then quieted when her dam's tongue soothingly passed over her ears. With a weary sigh, the child pressed her cheek against Harlyn's leg foreleg and let her eyes drift shut as her parents spoke over her head.

But the instant the stranger approached, Larkspur stiffened and jumped to her feet. Her tail dropped between her hind legs and she scrambled backward, trying to hide beneath her mother even as Harlyn positioned herself more protectively over the shivering cub. Larkspur made a soft hiccuping sound, face now mashing into the pale, soft fur of her mother's underbelly.

Ku has to take a short break due to RL things, so I'm going to move this forward with her permission :) @Warbone @Silas @Pippin @Larkspur @Shikoba @Little Voice

Her mate seemed to take the stranger's presence similarly to her. He started and made a protective move to stand before Harlyn and Larkspur, but relaxed somehwat as it grew more obvious that this stranger was not there to hurt them. Harlyn was emboldened by her mate's regard of the wolf. "The location of our destination is unknown to us, stranger," Harlyn replied while Mordecai set his calculating, quiet gaze upon the man. "We had to leave our home before the swarm came. Originally we meant to seek shelter with a neighboring pack, but we found their lands abandoned. Now..."

Her voice trailed, leaving the rest of their sad story unspoken. It occurred to her that she might be being a little too honest with this complete stranger, but that seemed to be a new habit of hers. There was something trustworthy about this wolf, just as there had been about Thuringwethil. Harlyn's guard remained up however, due to the presence of her children at this exchange.

Pippin was quiet for the most par t—any outburst made was usually linked to a demand for food or to go home, but so distraught by the turn of events, the hunger in his belly, and the nauseating sight of the lingering locusts, the tawny boy fell to complete silence. He was surrounded by his loved ones, but he made no attempt to look at them – his gaze lingered blankly on the horizon before them, and his tiny form began to slump with the growing depression.
 
He could hear the adults talking in the background, but the boy registered nothing. All he wanted was to go home.

a shortie too

He doesn't like feeling the adults so tense. It's palpable in the air, hanging heavy and thick which directly translates to him. Even hunkered low to the ground and numb from tiredness, he can still feel it creeping into his bones. It's no way that the young wolf wants to feel again any time soon but he cannot even fathom the end of this yet.

Silas' drags his stare from wolf to wolf, still uneasy and still uncomfortable. He sighs, which at the end curls subtly into the tiniest of grunt-growls that's as pitifully tired as he is. Otherwise, he just doesn't move from his chosen spot.

Still it looked as though his ears had vanished, so flat were they against his soft head, but Little Voice regarded the huge male with his big eyes showing a lot of white. He considered him. He was not scared of him exactly (for this was no cougar), but he was very curious, and naturally suspicious. And he blinked briefly to Harlyn too, hearing snippets of what she'd said and wondering if she was painting a picture of a home for the lost nomads...