sunshine, rain on down

Theodoric Martin · 12-07-2010, 01:54 AM

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all welcome!

Lately, Theodoric had been a hermit. While he was generally a social creature, he did go through phases where he was his own best company. In recent weeks, he had not avoided other lupines, but he had not actively sought them out, either. His days had been a pleasant mix of weaving in the morning and exploring the outdoors in the afternoons. It felt good to be productive again, and with each passing day he could feel his creative muscles flexing a little more. He had not sought out others because his work was company enough.

Today’s weather called Theodoric outside a little earlier than usual. The sun had already crested its zenith, but the sky was partially cloudy and occasionally spitting snowflakes. Still, it was not too chilly, nor was the wind gusting with any intensity or frequency. Despite this, Theodoric had still thrown a long navy cloak over his shoulders before opening the door and following his Eurasian eagle owl outside. The village beyond his doorstep was quiet, but comfortably so. Wynne angled in the direction of her favorite hunting grounds to the south, and Theodoric followed slowly behind.

He quickly lost sight of the mottled brown owl, but he knew that she was heading toward the forested area south of the rapids known as Adella’s rage. Theodoric would let the owl hunt on her own for a while, but maybe later they’d team up to bring down a large hare or wild turkey. For now, Theo loosened his stride and enjoyed the exercise. Even in winter, the AniWaya territory was lovely, and he was enough of an artist to appreciate the subtle beauty of the season.

Past the fork of the rapids, Theodoric startled a doe and her two half-grown fawns, probably born earlier this year. For a moment, he thought about giving chase, but doubted that he could catch even one of the fawns on his own. Theo wasn’t a terrible hunter, but he wasn’t an excellent one either. Two-legged and wearing a non-aerodynamic cloak, he would quickly lose his quarry in the undergrowth. He was vaguely disappointed, until he saw the reason he had gotten so close to the deer without them noticing. There, concealed in the undergrowth was a stand of walnut trees, probably originally planted by humans decades ago. Theodoric grinned and headed toward the trees. Walnuts were tricky eating, but well worth the while.

Dawali Amara · 12-20-2010, 08:30 AM

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Hai!

This season was not his friend. With every winter that went by, Dawali half expected to start feeling that very same joint pain that haunted his father's ancient body (ancient, because with his age, he should have been raised to Elder a long time ago, though he refused to stop working). Every winter came, and passed without any sign of the paints, which Dawali would have interpreted as an undeniable attest of his age. Still, he hunched over in the cold, always wearing something to keep himself warm. A red wolf's winter pelt was along the lines of a gray wolf's summer pelt, and not very impressive in its ability to keep the cold out. His makeshift cloak and vest were hardly any more impressive, and the Chief cursed under his breath as his foot slipped and he plunged headfirst into a thick layer of snow. Luckily, it was only snow; it hid no dark secrets in the form of logs or rocks. The Amara cursed loudly and got up quickly, brushing off snow and shuddering as the wet substance quickly melted and penetrated his pitiful excuse for a pelt. How he hated the winter, and for so many reasons! He cursed himself as well, he should have known better than to venture out of the village on two feet, he knew so well that four was a better advantage towards snow. Having re-gained his composure, Dawali glanced around himself to locate the path he'd come from, and while it was easy to find from his tracks, he also spotted a lone figure in the near distance, not far from a tree cluster that Dawali could not remember having seen before. Curious, the male glanced around himself again, locating the tracks of the other. Making his way over to them, he used them for easy walking, and followed them to the tree cluster. In not long, he could recognize the form of Theodoric. One hand raised, the male shuddered a little at the cold air that rushed in under his cloak, but he kept it raised nonetheless. It was rude not to greet your fellows. Soaking, but smiling, the male reached the trees. "Hello there," he said, wanting to continue but finding nothing to continue with. After all, why had he come over here? Curiosity, perhaps, or just company. His greeting ended there, bluntly, but the open smile on Dawali's face remained.

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Theodoric Martin · 01-09-2011, 05:47 PM

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wc: 320

Although walnut trees generally dropped their fruit late in the year, the season was already well-advanced and the prime of the harvest had passed. Birds, squirrels, and even the deer had already had a go at the egg-sized fruits scattered around the grove. Fortunately, an early snow had hidden a generous portion of the nuts, if the luperci were patient enough to dig through to find them. Theodoric eyed the area thoughtfully, gauging if the end product would be worth it. The nuts were hard enough to extract from the outer fruit and inner shell, plus the work of finding them in the snow. He thought it might be, for the taste and as well as the nutrition. The walnut trees had grown together thickly here, and the snow had fallen thinly on the ground beneath them. They shouldn’t be too difficult to find.

His planning session was interrupted by the sound of footsteps through the snowy undergrowth. Dawali emerged, a hand raised in greeting. Theodoric returned the salute, adding a dip of the head and ears in a more formal display of respect. But when he spoke, his voice was welcoming, “Afternoon, Chief.” He barely knew the Kalona, other than the winter ceremony at the Great Fire. Theodoric was, however, a friendly soul and genuinely amiable to new company. If he was a little shy because of the red wolf’s rank, he hid it well behind a polite mask. “Did ye’ know these grew here?” Theodoric offered one of the nuts he’d picked up for Dawali’s inspection. Most of the outer fruit was gone, but the husk still sheltered the nut inside. “Walnuts ‘re good eating, if’n you can get the shell open.” A hammer would work, or simply smashing the husk between two stones. Theodoric’s favorite method had been part of a drinking game, involving pints, rapidly deteriorating fine motor skills, and the hilt end of a knife.

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