On top of the world

Markus Eriksen · 08-20-2011, 08:50 PM

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OOC here!

Word Count → 420

One could not say Markus wasn't multi-talented. He had a good, strong hunting instinct, and could lay simple traps that were nonetheless supremely effective in catching small things, like rabbits and tunnel snakes. He was a good, fast runner. He could play three instruments and was working on a fourth.

He couldn't say he wasn't multi-talented. One of those talents was not, apparently, building a raft. It seemed simple enough; all it had to do was float. Hell, a log would have worked. But Eva had wanted a raft. She'd missed the sea, had wanted to go sailing, and it was Markus' job to make that wish come true. Of course, they were only supposed to bob around Drifter Bay, and Eva was not supposed to fall into the water and be carried off in a rushing current out to sea. Of course Markus had gone after her, and he was a strong swimmer so of course he'd reached her. And then the raft had hit him in the back of the head, and things had gone black for a while.

They'd managed to get back on the thing, though by the time he came to it was falling apart, the driftwood drifting, and they were going to fall into the water again. Eva was terrified; Markus was more concerned with keeping the thing afloat than where they were going. He'd lassoed everything together with the terrified little girl hanging over his shoulder, and then he'd concentrated on keeping it together until they came in sight of land again.

It was nightfall, now, and this place smelled very strongly of a pack. He didn't know which; it felt like he'd sailed all the way down the coast, and Markus wasn't entirely sure that was false. Eva was still shaking, though now she was cradled in his arms, and she looked overly glad to be out of the water--well, nearly. Stepping out of the shallows and onto the shore would mean crossing the borders, and Markus wasn't willing to do that, not while he was only clad in a pair of old denim shorts and Eva was scared into silence. He had no idea whether or not they were hostile, and he wasn't going to find out any time soon. Maybe if he waded up shore a bit, he'd find some neutral territory, and they could dry off and try to find out where they were.

At the moment, though, he was more concerned with calming his daughter.

with a broken heart

that's still beating

image courtesy of Al Burke@Flickr; edits by iku; table template by the Mentors!

Ralla · 08-21-2011, 12:08 AM

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Do dodo do do~ <3 (Nootau: Visible)

Near the northern reaches of the territory Ralla was searching...or, scouting, would be the more proper term. She was not a scout--or, actually, even a Fire Tender according to Maska--but she needed to find a safe place to call the next pack meeting. Grandfather's Tears had been a sort of impromptu set-up last time, but it was going to be dangerous what with everything's that'd been going on. No, they needed a far more secluded spot: That in unexplored territory. Sadly, without Sugar, her travel time was greatly extended.

When she first saw the silhouette of someone against the last vestige of sunset on the ocean, she was almost immediately disappointed that perhaps the northern reaches weren't as secluded as she thought. Upon sparing another look, she saw that it was, fortunately, not one of the familiar faces of the Guardians, but a newer, stranger face. She went closer to the cliffs and squinted her forest green eyes to see down to the figures, and deemed them to not only be strangers, but in quite a bit of a predicament. Emotionally she wanted to wave her arms and call out to them to come ashore--they looked quite miserable and in trouble--but logically, doing such things would likely scare them off or attract unwanted attention. Nootau, the white mother's spirit guide, materialized from the air--as he was wont to do sometimes--and alighted upon her shoulder, a weight that really wasn't, considering his being dead and all. The two shared a brief look before Ralla whispered a small plea to the barn owl, who nodded and sky-dived down the edge of the cliff only to swoop back up and travel to the admittedly decrepit form of a raft. The bird circled once or twice before coming to a slow glide near the other man's head, inkwell eyes looking at him. At that moment, Ralla was travelling down the sloping part of the cliff--the only way down and up the steep rock-face that connected the grassy land above and the beach below.

"Come ashore," the barn owl said simply in high speech, betting that this would be a surprise for the man. The spirit guide doubted that the man and his...daughter?...had even heard of spirit guides, but now was not the time to explain any of that or even think of it. "We will not harm you, but we cannot help you out here." His charge had hoped that these newcomers would be friendly as well, and often Nootau would chide her in her willingness to believe in other's goodness. As Maska had proved, not all wolves were good. Luckily she knew this, but he could not deter her from trying to believe anyway. The white woman herself had finally reached the bottom of the beach and awaited the two to land, knowing that they must be exhausted just by the shape of their raft.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Markus Eriksen · 08-21-2011, 01:04 AM

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Dee de dee dee dum~ Big Grin

Word Count → 304

Eva was beginning to shiver, nigh uncontrollably. Markus was shuddering, himself, and the temperature was only dropping the lower the sun dipped over the horizon. He hugged the small puppy tighter to his chest, bending to bury his nose in her belly and breathe warm air over her. His legs were freezing from the calf down, but he was more worried about Eva; she was completely soaked, still. He concentrated on his breath-drying for a long moment as the sun set, before the sound of rippling air drew his attention away from the small girl.

There was a bird swooping down toward him. By the look of it, it was a barn owl, though what it wanted with them he couldn't be entirely sure. A hunting bird, maybe? He knew some people used those, although he'd thought those were falcons. He didn't have much time to wonder, however, before it came to hover beside him. He curled protectively around Eva, who's teeth chattered so much she couldn't even think of asking all the questions that were whirling in her head, though she desperately wanted to. When the bird began speaking, she made a little yelping sound, not of surprise but delight, and thrashed weakly. Markus was more concerned with the words coming out of its...beak, and while he questioned whom "we" was--the whole pack? The owl's trainer?--he nodded slightly, and began dragging his numb limbs through the cold water.

There was a white wolf waiting on shore. He hesitated a moment before his paws hit land, but then he made his way to her, holding Eva even closer as he eyed the stranger warily. The pup in his arms thrashed some more, and a stammering, H-h-hi! made it's way from her maw, buried somewhere in his fluffy chest.

Picture by Cait, table code by the Mentors!

Ralla · 08-22-2011, 06:46 PM

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PP-ed them up the cliff, if that's alright? :3

Nootau brought the strangers to shore, although she could see that the man was wary of her presence. She, however, was more concerned with his state of affairs--those being his lengths of drenched fur and clothes--and the small form clutched to his chest. Being a mother herself, Ralla deeply sympathized with the man, and so went forward with a confident stride to stand before them, only to beckon them back to where she had climbed down from. "Come, you need to get warm." Nootau was gliding easily on the ocean winds now, only an observer now that he had played his part, but there was danger present that only Ralla could remedy at the moment. One of them being hypothermia from the chill ocean breeze.

The rocky steps that grew into the cliff required some tactful climbing at the beginning--that which Ralla offered to help the man heft his daughter up many times so that he may climb unhindered--but soon those steps turned into the grassy slant of land that took them the rest of the way up. But still the air was cold there, and with reluctance Ralla beckoned the pair deeper into the territory towards the forest. It was not with reluctance to bring strangers into the territory that she did this, but because the man was obviously not completely wolf, which would incite the Guardians to perhaps harm him and his daughter. For the moment, the border was far too far away to even think about yet. They needed warmth. "Come, there is a willow tree around here that you can rest under." She knew that she was asking them a lot by requesting their trust, but she knew her home and could not leave those in need to suffer alone. Soon they were upon the tree, and the white woman pulled the curtain of thick willow fronds--so close together were they that they made a complete curtain around the tree--apart to allow the two entrance. Now that they had a semblance of shelter--they could go no closer for fear of being detected--a fire would do. Being a former Master Fire Tender, Ralla immediately went to work, picking up dry twigs and grass from outside of the willow tree, working diligently. The dry summer had made conditions perfect for a fire, and also perfect for supplies. Although this had been a bit of a curse ion their food stores, it was a blessing now. She returned and set to work on the fire, rubbing the dry twigs together to form friction. It would take time, but it would do.

"My name is Ralla," she said as she worked. Above, in the branches that did not hang, Nootau hooted loudly. "And that is Nootau. I would welcome you to AniWaya, but I must stress this right now: We cannot make ourselves known to anyone here. The willow will mask the light of this fire and the smoke will not appear until dawn, at which point it will hopefully die out. But now I must ask you this, stranger, because this is our home: Who are you?" It was quite an unorthodox greeting, but their health and safety was far above pleasantries. The two of them looked so pitiful shivering and cold that it made Ralla cold, too, that she could not offer better hospitality.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Markus Eriksen · 08-24-2011, 06:46 PM

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No problem!

Word Count → 323

The white wolf approached with a confidant stride, and Markus eyed her warily as he wrapped Eva in his arms, not sure if he was helping or hindering her condition with his own long, soaked fur. The wolf was quick to rush them into the packs' lands and up the mountain side, and while Markus was suspicious, he felt the effects of the cold himself, and could only imagine the way Eva felt.

He was reluctant to pass Eva to the wolfess in order to make his own trip easier, and did only when completely necessary; i.e., when he'd only drop her or fall to the bottom otherwise. They made it to the top soon enough, the rocky steps sloping into soft grass and a chill breeze. That was far enough into the pack lands for Markus, but it appeared this wasn't a good enough spot to light a fire or get some blankets, as they were beckoned yet further into the territory.

Markus spoke not a word through the trip, but when the willow tree came into view, he ducked under the cover of the fronds, and then sank to his knees and set Eva, who'd by that time passed out, on the ground. He rubbed her down as best he could with his clammy hands before the fire was lit. It was a skill he didn't have, without a lighter, and he'd have liked to watch how she did it, but it was too late, and once the flames were high all he cared about was moving Eva closer to them and warming her.

The wolfess introduced herself as Ralla, and then warned him of their need for secrecy. He lifted his gaze to her warily, and in that moment he was curled almost protectively around his daughter, hunched over her small, prone body. A long moment after she stopped speaking, he finally opened his mouth. Markus. Eriksen. And...Eva.

with a broken heart

that's still beating

image courtesy of Al Burke@Flickr; edits by iku; table template by the Mentors!

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