my god; my tourniquet
#1
ooc: red vine hollow, all welcome Smile

word count: 529

ic: The midday sun shined brightly in the sky; though it was still a somewhat weak light, it was getting stronger day by day as spring drew nearer. The golden light glittered on a sea of red which seemed to cover the entire area; scarlet leaves swayed in an almost-warm breeze, an ocean of blood rippling gently over the trees and earth. The current swelled in a large wave of crimson; if one looked closely enough, one could see a bit of wood peeking out: a corner of a door frame here, the glitter of a broken window there. Before this swelling of the red sea stood a tall, willowy figure, snowy white saddled with umber and charcoal. Cocoa eyes gazed upon the blanketed structure with awe at its beauty. One ivory hand rested on a forked walking stick, the other hanging limply at her side, resting against a leather hip bag.

The collie mix had never seen anything such as this. She realized that it was just a cottage covered in vines, that the growth had spun wildly out of control and covered the surrounding area like kudzu. It was still breathtakingly beautiful, and she had paused for a full ten minutes just taking in the sight. Shaking herself slightly, she pawed softly toward one of the carpeted doors. She pulled it open, pulling some of the foliage away as she did, and peered inside. It was dim, but it took only a moment for her eyes to adjust, and she stepped over the threshold. Within was dusty old furniture, shelves against a wall holding battered books, and a table covered with some interesting knick knacks. She approached the table first, picking up a particularly interesting box-like object, and began to toy with it. It had a little crank on one side which she began to turn, figuring out no other way to open the lid. After a few turns, the lid sprang open with no warning, a puppet jumping from the confines of the box and into her face. She shrieked and dropped the thing as though it were hot coals. She rested a hand on her chest and chuckled nervously to herself as it thudded harmlessly to the dusty floor.

Leaving the table and what were probably more mildly dangerous doodads, Cerridwyn wandered over to the shelves that held the books. She had met a couple of wolves looking at these things; apparently, they told stories. She just could not figure out how this was done. She picked up a thin volume and wiped the dust off of it. There were designs on the front, but they made no sense to her; almost like pictures but they didn't depict anything. She opened the book and studied a page; just little black figures. How did people make stories out of these things? Maybe she was looking at it wrong. She leaned her stang against the wall and turned the book so that the pages fell from top to bottom, holding it in both hands and staring hard at the paper, as though maybe the figures would come together and form an image for her that might be comprehensible.
#2
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It was never Kian’s intention to trespass, and so it wasn’t unexpected that he wasn’t to be found incredibly deep within the wolf pack’s land. It was only on the border that his feet touched, and though he could smell wolves, he’d missed the marked location that’d have solidly blocked his path had he noticed it. The cottage all covered in overgrown foliage lured him onward, hoping effortlessly over the stone wall that was meant to keep out unwanted guests such as himself. All four paws carried him onward, sniffing delicately at the vines as he circled the building cautiously. Sounds came from within, and he stopped, perking his ears to listen. Nothing more could be heard, so he went to investigate.

Expecting the worst, but hoping for the best, he slunk toward an opening. Nosing past the doorway, his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light and he spotted a she-canine peering at the pages of a book. “Yer ‘oldin’ i’ upside down,” he tried, waving his tail slowly out of sight behind him. His head tilted to one side and his folded ears rose in a perfectly dog-like expression as he took in the creature’s appearance. She appeared to possess dog’s blood as well, though with none of the intensity that he did. He pushed a little further past the door, now standing half in the cottage as his attention lingered on the she-creature. For all he knew she’d chase him right back out.

table by sie.

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#3
word count: 303

Cerridwyn studied the pages intensely; surely if she looked at it long enough, the mysteries of the object would reveal itself to her. Her fawn-dappled eyebrows knitted in concentration, a studious frown laying gently upon her lips. She flipped the pages, allowing them to fall from top to bottom: nothing. She inhaled deeply and let the air out in a frustrated huff. Her concentration was so deep that she never heard the male enter; she had no idea he was present at all until he spoke. Already jumpy from being attacked by the puppet in the box, Cerridwyn let out a small squeal and dropped the book. It landed unceremoniously pages-down on the dusty floor, forgotten for the moment as her auburn eyes shot to the origination of the voice.

He was quite tall, and quite shaggy, and quite obviously a dog with no bit of wolf blood in him. Ashen fur fluffed in front of his dark eyes, and scraggled around his muzzle giving the appearance of a beard and mustache. He had a friendly, wizened face; the way his fur fell gave him an almost grandfatherly appearance to the collie-wolf, though from his voice she could tell he was no older than herself. His voice. Her eyes widened in realization as she replayed his words in her head. Words that sounded almost exactly like her own. Words spoken in such a way that she had not heard since she'd been ousted from her homeland. She opened her mouth and then closed it, opening again only to come out with: "Yer... yer nae frae Bhaile." It was nonsensical, probably, but it was all she could think; this dog spoke as she did but she'd never seen him before in her life. If he'd been in her tribe she'd have known him instantly.


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