Meadowlark Prairie toccato and fugue in d minor
1,002 Posts
Ooc — Houkie
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#1
All Welcome 
Someone from BFW? ;)

This was not the ideal time of year to gather plants and herbs, yet Raven knew she must collect what she could before the frost and snow killed off everything until springtime. She found what she could in and around the caldera, yet the aspiring medic knew she must branch out somewhat to get everything she needed for a baseline medical inventory. But she didn't dare go further than the adjacent territories, lest she get lost all over again, and her pace was slow and tentative as she breached the far eastern border to explore the neighboring prairie.

There was a shadowy forest in the distance and Raven paused on the grassland, eyeballing it and then peeking over one shapely black shoulder. She could still see the caldera from here. As long as she kept it in view, perhaps it would be safe to go a little farther. The woods would offer a greater variety than an open and exposed prairie. Slowly, she began padding closer.
burn.
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#2
The boy had wandered rather far.

and he realized now that he was also rather lost, and upon turning in a few circles, until he lost all semblance of direction, the boy chose a tactic the would surely lead him home. ..eventually.

direction chosen, he squinted into the distance as his tiny legs kicked into gear. soon, he was speeding along, and though nothing looked remotely familiar, at least he was going...somewhere.

the world was rather big, wasn't it?

it was what seemed like hours later that he caught sight of the dark pelted figure. mother. Damien. Atshen. one of the above. yet the figure was female, too large, and hardly smelled like mother. yet he headed closer, until he was but a short distance away, not quite near enough to be noticed by those not the most perceptive. he had found someone,  yet completely unfamiliar, and a stranger. he plopped down on his but, staring at the other with huge,  unblinking eyes, as he considered what next to do.
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Ooc — Houkie
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#3
Long before she reached the edge of the woods, a scent—rather, a collection of them—hit her nose and Raven rolled to a stop. A wolf pack lived in the forest. Raven licked her lips, pushing aside her disappointment and then pivoting on a lithe black heel to turn back toward home. As she spun, something caught her eye and she froze, yellow gaze clapping upon a small pewter figure staring in her direction.

She blinked as their eyes met. He looked fairly young. He must belong to the nearby pack, yet he was pretty far beyond its borders. Raven's tongue ran across the seam of her lips again as she pondered what to say or do. She wasn't a socialite by any stretch of the imagination and she didn't have much experience with pups. Was this one even old enough to speak? Should she try to talk to him? What if one of his pack mates showed up and got all protective over him?

Raven stood there in indecision for several beats before deciding to say, "Hello," and offering a gentle smile and wag of her tail. "Are you lost...?"
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#4
Soon enough the stranger noticed him, yellow eyes gleaming into his rapidly paling own,  yet he did not break of his stare. her eyes were a source of great fascination a moment, he having never seen before such coloured optics. 

lost. yes, he was lost. yet she was a stranger, and strangers, in most cases, were supposed to be bitten. he considered the option for a moment, but decided against it when he realized he didn't particularly want to. instead,  he stared a few moments longer before slowly dipping his head in the affirmative.
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Ooc — Houkie
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#5
The puppy stared at her without answering for a long moment and Raven began to chew her lower lip. Her eyes scanned the forest beyond him, keeping an eye out for any sign of his parents or pack mates. She saw no movement and returned her gaze to him just in time to catch his small nod.

"You understand me?" she questioned softly, taking a single step toward him. She just wanted to be sure. "Can you talk?" Raven wondered if that was a patronizing question to ask, though he hadn't said a word yet and he was young enough to warrant asking.
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#6
her yellow eyes scanned the distances, his gaze following hers a few moment longer before he broke it off. she moved closer to him, asking him more questions. he did not respond to the first before she voiced the second, and when he did, his expression seemed to say "well, obviously", as he issued yet another nod.

he had yet no idea how off putting is silent ways could be to some; or misleading. if he had, he doubted that  he would have cared in the least. he peered past the female, wondering if he should simply pick up and continue in his chosen direction. she was interesting, yet he was hungry and sought to go home. he turned his gaze back on her, brow raised in silent curiosity. perhaps she would walk in his direction with him
hell hath no fury
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Ooc — jal
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#7
The dark woman did not make it a habit to venture beyond the woods her children rested, for she knew she was never truly alone at any given time; one always seemed to follow her trail as she went. Yet this time, she followed the most silent boy as he ventured beyond his boundaries and unto the world that laid beyond the shadowed forest. Narrowed optics observed in silence as the child simply sat in the face of a stranger; unwavering at a terrifyingly stoic gaze. Yet, it was when the stranger begun to speak to her son that she became curious, for she herself had only heard the boy's voice once before in the face of judgement. No reply came from the boy, and with the possibility of anger induced frustration bubbling from both ends, the woman found it best to intervene; she had no wish to deal with what had occurred only days before at the borders.

"Are you lost?" The dark woman inquired with a hint of distaste as well as curiosity; sauntering through the shadows to stand beside her child. The resemblance between mother and son quite apparent in the distant and icy exteriors they both wore; the malevolence of one generation to the next cultivated and honed within the dark woods the stranger had managed to stumble upon. Superiority verging on pride reeked from the woman herself, almost threatening the other to attempt anything to disrupt the nature of which she was found upon; met by the unwavering teeth and claw of the Silencer herself. However, there was nothing about her stance that signaled she held the intention to attack, for her son was a wanderer, she knew; the stranger did not look the part to steal away young children off pack borders. Unprovoked, the Silencer was agreeable, up until the point where she was not. There was never a loner who had wished to meet her presence on a bad day, especially in the presence of her children. 
the only way to keep your people loyal is
to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy
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Ooc — Houkie
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#8
Shadow-posted! Let me edit, then I'll make a note when I'm done. All done! :)

He gave her a look, which Raven couldn't quite decipher. She took it as a no, in any case. Otherwise, he would have spoken up, right? Breathing in slowly, Raven deliberated her next move. She was close to a pack's borders, looming over one of its puppies, and surely they wouldn't like that if they knew. But was it her responsibility to escort him home (even though she really didn't want to get any closer)? What if she left him here and he got more lost? She knew how terrible it could be losing your way.

"How about I howl for someone to come get you?" she suggested, peering at the youngster and waiting a moment even though she didn't expect an actual reply. She then jumped when an older, darker wolf suddenly appeared, her eyes as sharp and cold as ice and her voice even more frigid as she sneered Raven's earlier question back at her.

"I—no," the yearling fumbled, taking a step backward, her tail lowering as she practically crouched. She wasn't much of one for confrontation and wanted to make it exceedingly clear she meant no harm. "I live at the caldera," she said, not daring to peel her eyes off the pair to point out the squat, dead volcano in the distance behind her. "I was just out here looking for herbs when I ran into—your son?" she guessed.
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#9
His mother. she appeared at his side, and his eyes moved to fall on her face as his expression became light for an instant. she seemed to expel a sense of security and safety, and his concern over being rather lost ended abruptly. perhaps his tactic of choosing a direction and moving had worked!

he moved close to her, planting himself next to her foreleg and shooting her an expression rarely seen on the stoic boy; the smallest of smiles. he was very, very happy to be notlost. his gaze fell on the other again, adopted in his expression stoic once more.

his mother suggested that the other be lost too. could she be lost too? then why wasn't she heading in a single direction as he had been? but she claimed not to be, that she was looking for...herbs. the boy sent a quick, curious glance to his mother. what on earth were herbs? yet not waiting for an answer for long, his optics fell on the other, then roamed around the clearing, searching for anything that distinctly resembled a "herb"...whatever those were.
hell hath no fury
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Ooc — jal
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#10
The stranger fumbled in her words, yet Nemesis paid little mind. Appearances tended to intimidate, the woman would not be the first. She waved off the circumstance in which she found the two; the other did not look the type to snatch children off borders much less trespass. A timid nature did not go hand in hand with thievery, and the Silencer would not be the first to jump to irrational conclusions; unlike herself on any normal day. Dropping the suspicion of the female so close to their home, she turned to look down at her child. Eyes peered fondly to the boy that sat beside her; "Yes, my son," There was little she could to do keep him within the woods, and she did not wish to confine him to one singular home. Instead, she pushed him to venture, to take on tasks that were far beyond his age; every aspect in his life was training towards the Brotherhood. 

Yet, it was the knowledge that the stranger hailed from the neighboring pack that called her interest; there was little she could do to impose the appearance she normally presented to outsiders without sitirong unwanted trouble the the Redhawks. Blackfeather Woods and Redhawk Caldera had no quarrel, to her knowledge, and she preferred it remained that way. Even more, any connections they were able to make with the neighboring pack was something to be treasured. Blackfeather held no allies, but acquaintances were always a welcomed thing. "We have many herbs of all kinds, and many more you have never heard of," The woman commented, something about the fact she hoped the other would find alluring, perhaps even welcoming. "You may come in to see for yourself, if you wish," Her offer was presented with calculative eyes, staring down the female while remaining presentable all the same. It was an offer that had never been proposed before, and under normal circumstances would never have been allowed. However, this was no loner. And her offer was completely genuine. There was nothing in the dark woods that they did not have an abundance of or could not make more of; Meldresi's stores had seen to that. However, she knew outsiders from neighboring packs to be especially cautious with the wolves of Blackfeather, especially when their reputation was known. 
the only way to keep your people loyal is
to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy
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Ooc — Houkie
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#11
The youngster more or less faded quietly into the background, yet Raven did not forget to include him with a glance here or there even as his mother spoke. She didn't offer an introduction for either one of them, though she did make a surprising offer. It was sorely tempting, especially since Raven had both a lot to learn and far too little in her own medicinal stash, yet she knew better than to set foot inside another pack's territory. There was too much danger there, especially considering they were veritable strangers.

"That's a gracious offer. I wish I could but I actually need to report back home soon," the yearling fibbed, offering the pair a genuinely grateful smile and an equally authentic apologetic dip of her head. She truly regretted the lost opportunity. "But..." She found herself speaking without thinking. "Would you care to tell me where you find most of your herbs? I need to build up my stocks and I'm not sure of the best places around here. And I wouldn't want to infringe, if you have areas you'd prefer I leave alone," Raven added, having no desire to create pack tensions between the caldera and this dark woods pack.
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#12
left to speculate about these herbs in silence, the boy was but a still shadow beside his mother as the two spoke, the picture of calm as he listened while the adults spoke, following the conversation in silence despite the curiousity that welled within him, at these herbs that this woman so wanted, to collect? did they have worth? et he was silent, waiting, mind plucking whatever of interest he could from the conversation, content to simply sit and observe.
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Ooc — Houkie
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#13
Since this has sat for a while, I'm gonna finish it off for us. :)

Raven sensed that Nemesis was displeased about her offering being declined and she feared that the woman would clam up and refuse to answer her questions. There was a beat of tense silence, then the she-wolf offered a few details regarding the local sources. The yearling listened in rapt, grateful silence, then dipped her muzzle when Nemesis finished.

"Thank you. Please take care," were her simple and brief parting words. She offered the quiet pup a small smile, then pivoted on a black heel to begin trotting back toward the caldera. As she shuffled home, a smear of red caught her eye and she glanced sideways at a field of withering flowers. Raven did not stop, however, hastening back across the borders and sighing with the relief of homecoming.