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[Terramorn]

She stood at the edge of the water, partially submerging her toes. Her right leg was raised, delicate paw ready to swipe. She had seen the cats from the campfire do this before, and had since seen the bears wallow in the rivers to catch the fish. But she wondered if she could do it. Not that it mattered. Whether she could do it or not, she was extremely hungry.

From the valley in the Northern Region all the way to here, Terramorn had traveled ever since she had woken up, with no memory of how she had gotten there. She remembered the fires of her people, the kind face of her two-legged surrogate mother, and the constant teasing from her four-legged peers. They had gone out hunting, and she didn't remember anything beyond that.

She was absolutely still for several minutes, glad the blood had stopped on her raised arm. If a drop had hit the still water and startled the fish that were drawing lazily closer, she might have gone insane. Then, finally, she made a swipe with her paw when she thought the timing was right. She felt the slippery body against her pads, felt her paw push it a little, but the fish inevitably slipped away, and she had scared off all the rest of them.

There was a moment of silence. Then she threw a fit, collapsing into mumblings and pacing about. The overexertion of her right arm had opened the wound again, or at least enough to start bleeding. It only took a few paces for her to realize that the weight was only making things worse, and so she stubbornly walked further, until she was under the shade of the willow tree.

There were many around here. It was beautiful, really, but Terramorn was so frustrated, she hardly cared. The blue waters and beautifully draped willow branches. It was something surreal that Terra had certainly never seen. She had only ever known the plains and mountainsides of home. That was all gone, now, and she was stuck in this land of wonder and magic, where all her strange dreams seemed to make more sense, and she couldn't find anything to eat. It would be unsurprising for anyone to know that she had barely ever caught anything for herself before. No, though an adolescent, she had learned from the pack animals the two-legged people kept. And now there were none.

Thoughts more somber, her angry energy receded, and Terramorn began taking care of her leg, licking it to make herself feel better. If she could find one of those plants here, she could just put that on it. Truth was, she didn't have the right to sit around long enough for it to heal, anyways. She needed food, and her stomach reminded her of it obstinately as she kept cleaning, just as stubborn as her appetite.

[Caprina Shayla Lunari]

The willow branches stroked Carpina's face as she crept closer to the pond. Her brown head rubbed against the leaves creating a rustling sound. Their feathery touch intrigued her and she wove through drooping branches, pleased at the new discovery.

Then... the breeze wafted over her and she caught the scent of another. Her instincts triggered every sense in her body. In that moment, she became in perfect synced with the world around her. She could sense every quirk, nick, and cranny. The slight rustle from a small mouse didn't escape here ears. She could spot the Nightingale nestled in the branched of a far away tee. She could feel the wet ground under her paws. And she could smell another wolf not far from her area. She crouched low to the ground and willed her body to be silent. Easier thought then done. Her hefty body made a crushing sound as her paws pressed into the earth. She grumbled inwardly, frustrated by this quirk in her being. She had been blessed with an endless well of curiosity, but she lacked the physique to be truly stealthy.

She heard no change in the stranger's behavior. She crept closer reaching the willow branches closest to the pond. The stranger was completely white except for her spine that grew to a darker grey out of the boundless strands of snow white fur. This stranger seemed to be absorbed in some activity. Caprina watched as the wolf splashed a paw in the water in, what she assumed to be, an attempt to catch a fish. Caprina's amber eyes caught something on the wolf's front leg. A wound! The wolf was so small and skinny, Caprina could only imagine what harm had befallen the poor creature. She needed help. Caprina sniffed the air. There was no other wolf around. This wolf was a loner like herself.

The pity in Caprina beckoned her from her shelter in the willow branches. She straightened her legs completely, abandoning her hiding position as she stepped through the branches and into the open.

[Terramorn]

Terramorn paused in her licking to sniff the air. She was surprised to find another scent born on the wind, and so lifted her pale head as the willow branches rustled against each other. It seemed they two considered each other from a distance for a while, or perhaps it was just the way Terramorn's mind worked- way too fast one moment, so things seemed very slow.

Anyways, the other female was very pretty. Her fur color made Terramorn think of autumn more than anything else. It was the wrong season, but still very pretty amongst a cold, slightly snowy willow area. The reds against the whites and blues made a picture that the young wolf imagined her surrogate mother would want to draw on the cave walls.

After a few moments of absolute stillness on Terramorn's part, she perked her ears up a little more to show friendliness. Then she wagged her tail a couple of times, the thin thing thumping a couple of times on the ground. It was nice that the willows provided shelter from the snow, otherwise her tail might have been hard to tell separately from it.

"Hello!" She barked happily.

Yes, she was still frustrated. But she did not know this stranger, and so her troubles were by no means their's. She ignored the wound, which was slowly clotting again, and stood up, favoring the leg only as much as her pride would take.

"I'm Terramorn." She chirruped, focusing on being friendly.

[Caprina Shayla Lunari]

Caprina smiled and stepped completely out of the branches. The girl seemed very happy for a wounded wolf. Caprina admired her spirit. She was happy she didn't scare the white wolf. Her tail wagged back and forth as an invitation to be friends. "Hi!" the wolf said. "I'm Terramorn."

Caprina's ears perked in reply to this friendly greeting. "Nice to meet ye. I'm Caprina." She carried a slight accent from the her upbringing in the north. It had since began to ebb away when she heard how the other wolves spoke in Torva. But there was still a slight lilt in her speaking. Her pack. She could still remember them. Her brothers had been so distraught when she decided to leave. There had also boy who had courted her, but she found no interest in him and thus left him without saying goodbye. He was foolish. She was as well. She'd left at the start of her life. She was only a child. This wolf was probably older than her. But she had seen so much and she wanted to see more. Torva offered that. It offered her knowledge, experience, and other strangers wandering the world like her.

She looked at Terramorn. "Looks like ye've got a bit of a rip in yer pretty fur."

Caprina approached Terramorn slowly, examining the cut in her leg. "Ye also look a bit hungry. 'Aven't ye eaten a mite? Ye've got yerself a pond 'ere? Ye know 'ow to fish?"

[Terramorn]

"Heh. Yeah, I can't remember where I got it for the life of me, though."

It was an odd thing, to know that she had gotten the wound, but not from where. In all honesty, she had just woken up with it on the Northern territories. Hunger had driven her to keep moving, so it hadn't really had the chance to heal, despite the expanse of time from then to now.

"Oh, I'm not too hungry." She giggled, but stopped abruptly when her stomach loudly disagreed. Her ears flattened and her head suddenly hung. "Ok, maybe a little."

Her last words were so pathetic. What kind of wolf didn't know how to feed themselves? She did look like a pup, and she was admittedly very young. But wasn't a wolf at her age at least supposed to know rudimentary things about hunting? It was sad how little she actually knew about caring for herself.

"No, I don't know how to fish." She admitted after feeling as if Caprina's every sentence was a new blow.

She sat with a huff, head still hanging. She was happy enough under normal circumstances. But her already thin frame, a result of strange circumstances, had become even thinner because she was only able to catch just enough to live- barely. All her baby fat was gone, which was something Terramorn did not enjoy thinking about. She had long ago missed the lazy days around the campfire.

[Caprina Shayla Lunari]

Caprina sighed. It was clear that this wolf was in need of some help. Hadn't Terramorn's mother taught her how to fish or something? That was mandatory in her pack. As soon as she was old enough, Caprina's mother had taken her out with the pack to go hunting and fishing. At first she only watched, but it only took her a day to catch on. She was a fast learner and a detailed observer. On her first trip out she had managed to track a buck.

"Well, I could always, git ye a fish." Caprina walked into the cold waters. Her fur stood up on end at winter's bite. Spring was indeed, approaching, but winter still held strong against its coming. She allowed the cold to sharpen her senses, and she let her patience possess her muscles. It took only moments for her to spot a fish within striking range. She plunged her head into the cold liquid medium opening her jaws and closing them around the fish quickly. The sucker couldn't escape. She tossed her head up and threw the fish to the shore. "Or..." she said continuing from her last statement. "Ye can learn it, right now."

[Aku Ambirfyn-Exultare]

Yet again the lanky beast found himself traveling north, but not as far as he had hoped to go. Each stride of his lanky form carried him closer and closer to the hush and unearthly pull of the Willow Pond realm, and he sang. Although he had practise his own song several times, each burst of his partial howls that left his lips sounded more like that of a yappy coyote, rather than a canis lupus youth. This, evidently, did not ruin his rather joyous mood, for he barked, cried, and sang his heart out. Winter was ever present on the path that the adolescent chose, but the sun’s warm, sweet smile was bright and seemed to bring every creature to life. The tender, silken branches of the Willow Trees were eerie to some, but to the wolf, who was not yet a yearling, found comfort in their grasp. His passed slowed dramatically as he wandered carelessly, his head held high, and his tail swaying to and fro above his backside. ”I’m back..,” he mumbled softly, and a gentle breeze brought the arms to life as if to welcome him. The scent of other wolves was ever present within the Pond region, not only because of its ethereal, sometimes eerie, feel, but because it was a passage to the Vargo. A swell of pride filled the man-child as he made his way to the water. However, the sound of a conversation took him by surprise, and he felt his fur bristle as he sunk to the earth. The voices were feminine but the scents were unfamiliar, and both were by far different from one another. Before stepping out into the short clearing, he studied the two wolves, and subconsciously smiled at what he saw. ’Femmes..’ The lack of threat in their girlish voices drew the lanky beast from his position, and he quietly made his way toward them. As he did this, he caught the smaller, fragile-looking girl’s name. Terramorn. And then the others, which was Caprina. Pale blue eyes scanned each female carefully, searching for signs of warning or discontent with his presence. Immediately he found himself eyeing the white dove’s injured paw. ’Who would hurt such a pretty.. thing.’ The thoughts that tumbled within his head made him feel all the more awkward, but he cleared his throat anyway in hopes of catching the females’ attention. ”Ah, greetings, ladies,” he offered casually, nodding his head respectfully in greeting, ”I am Aku..,” and that is all he could muster. He was thankful for fur, at that moment, for his face burned with the evident nervousness that danced in his eyes. Yet another part of him betrayed his attempt at being suave: his tongue lolled in a pant, to cool him. A slight smile perked his features and drew his tongue in midway, and he looked to the water. ”You two are going to.. Fish?” he asked, as if he had not heard their previous conversation. He knew it was impolite to eavesdrop, but how else could he muster the strength to enter the presence of females?

[Caprina Shayla Lunari]

(Me=Complete noob. *faceplam* I'll get better I promise. Sorry about that. I misread horribly.)

Caprina smiled Aku's approach. She was happy that to see so many wolves to observe. She liked seeing each and every wolf's reaction and interactions. This should be fun. "Well, look at what we 'ave 'ere. A newcomer," Carpina smiled. "My name's Caprina. I was just 'bout to give Terramorn 'ere a good fishing lesson. Would ye like ta learn?"

[Terramorn]

(I totally typed this up this morning, and then when I was in the last paragraph, my computer asked me about restarting to put some update in action. I don't know what key I pushed, since I type way too fast, but it restarted and shut everything I was doing down. T_T So let's try again.))

"I... I suppose it would be alright."

She was feeling a little self-conscious, but there was not much she could do about it. Truth be told, Terramorn hadn't hunted seriously until she got here, and the lack of support eventually caused her frame to look thinner than normal. Her baby fat was entirely gone, and that was not something she was very happy about. She missed the lazy days around the fire, being thrown scraps by the two-legs and being pet by her surrogate mother...

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." She repeated quietly, only now understanding words she had heard from the two-legs.

The wind brought a new scent to Terramorn, and she turned her head to find a male approaching. He looked like a pup, about as small as her, but definitely younger. She didn't really know the general size of all breeds, so for all she knew, he could be as old as her or much younger.

She perked her ears up in a friendly manner, regardless, and wagged her tail a couple of times, like she had when Caprina had approached. She found his voice and stature odd, like he was trying to appear in a certain way. But nonetheless, there was no reason to be rude or stingy.

"I'm Terramorn." She smiled, unaware he already knew her name. "Do you know how to fish, too?"

[Caprina Shayla Lunari]

(I hope it's all right that I post now.)

While Terramorn conversed with the newcomer, Caprine went fishing again. She eyed the water with her usual highly observant behavior. The fish were now more cautious now that one of their own had been pulled from the depths. But that didn't matter. Speed was the key point to this skill. The fish could only swim so far. You just had to beat them to the catch. She scanned the water for the best suited victim. She found one. Good,she thought, A fat bass. That's what we need. She shot her head into the water. The bass struggled violently. Slapping her in the face with it's tail. She shook it violently and bit it harder. She was so busy thrashing around with it she didn't notice the large crawdad settled on the rock behind her. Her back paw stepped on its tail and it lash out by squeezing it's large pinchers around her heel. She dropped the fish and began yelping curses at the little devil.

[Terramorn]

(Why would it not be alright?)

Terramorn heard the splash from Caprina. She turned to watch the she wolf wrestle with a fish. But she didn't catch sight of the crawdad, so she was quite confused when Caprina yelped and went about the place, thrashing as hard as the fish was earlier. She was quite confused until she saw the red something on Caprina's back heel.

"What is that?" Terramorn exclaimed loudly, unsure how to help.

She hesitated a moment, and then dove forward. She had taken care of crawdads before, but that was because the other pups were always putting her on 'sentry' duty. It was silly, really, that she pretended to not know that they were just doing it to keep her away, and possibly put her in danger. But even doing silly things like playing along had its perks. Crawdads were actually quite simple to play with, as long as they had no claws free. And since this crawdad already had one claw taken, Terramorn took the opportunity to put her paw firmly on the free claw, and then bite into its tough shell.

Her jaws, though small and petite like the rest of her, broke through the shell. She managed to kill it, but not before the crawdad struck back with its other pincer, letting go of Caprina and latching onto Terramorn's wounded leg. She yelped and jumped, but stilled herself with a mighty wave of self discipline. It was dead. She should be able to get it off now, right?

[Caprina Shayla Lunari]

For the longest time, all Caprina could feel were the crustacean's pinchers clenched around her tendon. The claws weren't very sharp, but with the amount of thrashing Caprina had done she had allowed the pincheres to rub deeper into her skin, causing more pain. She didn't have the brain power to even process actually getting the little devil off her back leg.

Then she heard a crunch and felt a tug on her leg. the pain lessened somewhat and she looked around to see that the crawdad had gone from her leg...

And now hung itself from Terramorn's wound. The claw ripped it open and continued to cling to Terramorn's leg even after death. Terramorn yelped at the initial shot of pain, but by some miracle managed to bite her lip (figuratively) and stilled herself.

Caprina was now in a raging fury. It was enough that the little pest had lost Caprina her meal, but now it ripped open Terramorn's wound and stained the poor wolf's snowy fur with red blood.

"All right!" Caprina growled. "That's enough outta ye. Sorry 'bout this, Terra. I gotta rip it out. Or the pincher's gonna stay." Without saying another word Caprina ripped the crawdad from Terramorn's wound and threw it across the bank. The damn thing doesn't ev'n deserve to be eaten, Caprina thought. "Go eat dirt, ye filthy ravager!" Caprina roared after it.

She turned back to Terramorn and inspected the bleeding wound.

"We're gonna to 'ave to get ye somethin' for that."

Administrative note: It would be appreciated if you guys would wait for all members of the thread to post instead of continuing on without someone. It is respectful to wait to post until everyone is ready unless it is an event where therr is no posting order. The posting order here should have been Terramorn, Caprina, Aku and back to Terramorn and so on...

(Oh ok... sorry about that)

[Aku Ambirfyn-Exultare]

Ooc| Sorry for taking so long guys! I was on unexpected leave. I will NEVER LEAVE AGAIN!!! DX I lurve Aku. X3 The young beast smiled idly as he watched the two females, and evident interest twinkled in his blue eyes. So her name was Caprina. A curt nod was given to the ivory dame, and Aku quickly found his gaze upon Terramorn once more. ’Such a pretty girl..’ he thought, suddenly full of excitement. One long bound brought him very close to the duo, particularly closer to Terramorn, but between the two nonetheless. The small, white dove made the little brute’s heart flutter, and he barked happily at her sweet voice. "I'm Terramorn." The smile that suddenly presented itself on Terramorn’s face only brightened Aku’s mood and he quickly found his backside swaying in a manner of tail wagging. "Do you know how to fish, too?" ”Of course! I was taught by a man called Zee. Also, my father aided in my first successful catch,” he immediately responded, finding himself drawn toward the small female more and more. He would find things to say, just to talk to the pretty femme. However, his attention was quickly absorbed by what Caprina was doing, which was fishing. As she lunged forward and snapped at a fish, Aku barked enthusiastically and began nipping at the fish himself. Before he was able to latch onto the thing, the larger female’s yelping forced him to widen the space between himself and the she-wolves. ’What’s happenin’?!’ the young male wondered, looking at the two, dumbfounded. When his eyes caught sight of the crab that clung to one female, and then the other, Aku bounded toward the water. His ears were deaf to the what the doves were murmuring about. Within the water the fish struggled, flapping its fins in a fruitless attempt to swim. Caprina’s teeth had left a gaping wound in the bass’s gills, and it began to suffocate. A few quick dives, snaps and lunges, and finally Aku surfaced with the beast at last. Even as he pulled himself onto dry, frozen earth, and put some distance between himself and the water, the fish still squirmed. Aku dropped the fish and a toothy grin quickly drew itself up on his maw. But the look died down when he spotted Terramorn’s wound freshly torn open. A few quick steps brought him to her side and he sniffed at it with evident worry and genuine concern. ”A-are you alright, Miss Terramorn? Do you need an aid?” he mumbled softly, as if hoping she weren’t in too much pain. Would he need to run home, seek Azren, and ask for the assistance of a herbalist? Did Nix’rio have an Herbalist? This would all take too long!

[Terramorn]

(I also apologize about going on without you. I was just so eager to roleplay! I promise I'll become more patient as time goes on. Thank you for replying when you did!)

Terramorn was surprised how eager Aku was, but after he bound nearer, she found her tail wagging automatically. She got the feeling that she was getting all the attention, though. She didn't know whether to be guilty or not. Was it a bad thing? Did Caprina mind?

She did wonder, however, if the crawdad had to be tossed aside. She made a small yelp and whimpered as it was torn off her leg, but otherwise stifled her noise. Still, her stomach told her that perhaps she could forgive the crawdad... if only she could eat it. She licked her wound, thinking about missed opportunity.

The young wolf looked up as the fish hit the ground. She was glad to see it there, but in the instant that she was thinking about food, Aku was thinking about her. It surprised her, really. Did he act this caring to everyone? He asked her if she was alright.

Guilt plagued her for a moment. She wanted food, and Caprina had gotten hurt trying to catch something. Terramorn's attempt to help only made her own wound worse, and now they were both worrying over her. She felt weak and uncomfortably helpless, and she didn't like it. So she pushed herself onto her feet- and whimpered, favoring her leg.

"I'll be fine." She said bravely, though certain aspects of her stance gave her away. "There should be a plant around here that numbs pain. Yarrow, perhaps?"

[Cadmon Phelan]

(DARNIT WRONG CHARACTER! But oh well, he can pop in and exit. Sorry about this guys.)

Cadmon crept through the bushed. He grimaced. All he had seen in Torva were wolves and annoyances. He was sick and tired of finding wolves when all he wanted was peace. He became more annoyed when he found three wolves in the willow pond. He growled. At this rate, he would never find a place to be alone.

He decided to watch anyway and amuse themselves with their trivial ways. He saw the bigger stocky female fishing in the pond while a younger male wolf began hitting on the white female sitting on the bank. Idiot, Cadmon thought noticing the insipid oddities of the wolf as he tried to impress the white female. Suddenly the big female wolf began shouting and barking like a crazy idiot. It took Cadmon a few moments to realize that she had been a fool enough to step on a crawdad. Cadmon held in his cruel laughter as the wolf bounced around with the red shellfish on her leg.

Then the white female came to the wolf's rescue. She bit the crawdad and pried it off the larger wolf. His breath caught when he saw the crawfish's claw tear at the white wolf's wound in her leg. The small female yelped in pain. Cadmon felt his heart twist at the sight of pain. he shuddered. He should help her, but he didn't want to. He wanted nothing to do with anyone. Finally his pity won. He dashed through the bushes in search of some herb to help the wounded wolf. He found some yarrow growing and picked it.

When all the wolves were focused on the white female, he placed the yarrow on the bank so they wouldn't see him.

Then he faded into the brush and wandered into the world seeking peace.

--exit--