Word Count » 528 So sorry for the wait. Mushrooms.
Citlali Kimaris-Etalpalli
The soft murmur of the river lapping along the sides of the bank felt appropriate for the gentle afternoon. Bright golden light dappled the water’s current as it stirred by leisurely, carrying dull colored pebbles smoothed by the movement. A bird trilled a song from a nearby tree, calling love out to the sky which was decorated with a few tufts of clouds. The horizon was hidden by thick, light sage, shrubs and tall meager trees that fanned like a flower. The canopy would have been broad and simple, however, because of the slight winding river that sliced through the lightly marshy earth, there was a wide stretch of sky that stood out starkly above the water and faded as more leaves grew out from their branches. Citlali had not ventured out to the banks for the beauty; he had come for the undesirable fen that produced mushrooms.
Since venturing with his Auxiliary, Eris, and the Associates to the island and discovering the plethora of flora growing there, he had been meaning to venture back to the river side. His secret garden was growing as well as he could contain it, but was still small. There was much swamp dirt to fill inside the roped clearing. He hadn’t gotten anything from other members, perhaps because the word hadn’t gotten around, but he was meaning to show Eris and maybe even Sirius soon. With such a small inventory of mushrooms, herbs, and a few drugs, it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the coyote hoped it would be someday.
Feather decorated pack slung over on ginger-gold shoulder; the boy felt his off-white paws sinking in the mud as he slowly made his way beside the river. It twisted off and he followed, head down at one moment than glancing left and right with dull forest-green irises. Then, like a wall had loomed up before the boy, he stopped. The border was only a few steps away, the border marked by his own scent that he had never crossed. Gaze trailed farther down the water, beckoning him with unknown territory. Only a few young sprouts had been found on the trip, and his reed-woven bag was still empty. Citlali nervously grabbed his white braided bangle in habit. He fingered it as his coyote crafted feet stepped over the invisible line. Eyes looked around widely, suddenly alive and flickering with fear. Out here anyone could see him. Head jerked down again and he purposefully hid in the shadows as he trekked on.
Not more than a few paces in, the Kimaris boy spotted a light cluster inside the net of tree roots. His eyes would have trailed over the moss infested area dotted with low growing ferns if it weren’t for the solid yellow color. There was not a single spot of discoloration on its lily pad-like shape. Immediately Citlali rushed towards the fungus, dropping his bag with a watery thud on the mud. He sniffed the mushroom and picked up a distinct fruity smell. Ginger-white hands pulled out his knife, already speckled slightly with dirt, and began carving away at the roots and other sprouts.
Sorry for the delay! I was on vacation and am just getting back into the swing of things.
Word Count: 551
Parker hadn't been out of her pack's lands for weeks. Before the AniWaya raid it hadn't seemed so odd, but after the raid occurred she had felt pressured to stay within her pack's lands. Being disallowed from attending the parley meeting had disappointed her, although she had understood her mother's reasons. The quiet girl had been disheartened to be unable to explore anything outside the bounds of Crimson Dreams. While she was a homebody in many ways, there was a part of her that was intensely curious as well. As much as she enjoyed staying home, she also needed to go out and explore her world. It was also how she gained supplies for her art and other trinkets that she could keep around her home. The past couple of weeks had been stifling... she refused to be cooped up anymore.
Her pursuits today were not specific. In fact, they were anything but specific. She was aimlessly wandering, sort of letting the wind and the weather guide her to somewhere new. A little part of her was afraid that an AniWayan would come across her, perhaps the AniWayan that had tried to capture her. That scared part was buried beneath her eternal optimism, though. Nothing bad would happen if she was just wandering in the world away from the vicious tribe. The girl wasn't so foolhardy as to believe that she could go over to the invading pack and do something in return. If she had any such ambitions, they had been quelled when she was nearly captured. Not to mention when her mother had returned with blood boiling and empty hands. While Crimson Dreams wolves suffered, they tried desperately to find a peaceful solution. It seemed to becoming less and less likely as the days passed. Yet these things were far from Parker's mind as she explored; slowly letting the peace and quiet soothe her.
Her nostrils flared when she scented someone nearby. The smell was fresh and sharp, which led her to believe the wolf was attached to it. Curiously, she lifted her head and inhaled further. The smell was accompanied by the scent of plants, the soft mushroomy kind. There were other scents along with these, though. Ones that made her curious enough to pause and head in the direction of the male. His pack scent was not AniWaya - it was an unknown one to her - which bolstered her confidence. It was less likely that he was a threat to her if he was not from the enemy's pack. At the very least he didn't smell threatening. Not that she could take that as concrete evidence or anything.
She walked quietly - she was an expert at that - and hoped he wouldn't notice her. Though her blond fur likely stood out against the darker colors of the ground. Eventually he would notice her. For now, though, she watched. Her bright eyes were curious as to what he was doing and she wondered what else he had in his satchel. Parker was no thief, though, so it wasn't as if she could take it and find out unless he showed her. The girl stepped forward a bit more, her nostrils flaring hopefully as she looked at the bag. Hoping that she could get a peek inside.
The roots extended their scrawny, sinister fingers over the gold, obscuring and harboring the delicate prize. They escalated smoothly and accurately, greedy over their hidden wonders and flourishing vegetation. Citlali cut through the accentuated bark and neatly layered the pieces he had removed rather unsparingly. Each root was as thick as rope and came away after a few sharp slashes, revealing yet another spindly sheet. Green dappled the russet webbing and the willowy strands of small ferns clung and frolicked along the boy’s ginger-white arms as he dug towards the core. His hands began to ache after multiple trials of removal, somewhat similar to the productive activity of weaving.
A short break caused his golden-tanned ears to perk and his heart to take off like a frightened deer. The sounds quieted immediately and Citlali dismissed the disturbance as perhaps a youthful hare caught in the muck. He slowed his pace on clearing the tree’s fingers, keeping the corner of his flat, passive olive gaze intent on the once-comforting shadows. After another moment of quiet, the boy became engrossed once more. His blade flashed skillfully, reflecting on a tree and catching Citlali’s attention. Suddenly, there was woman there. The Kimaris jumped up unnaturally fast and slipped behind the trunk he had taken so much care in destroying. Such rapid movement caused him to rake a gash along the bark.
He could feel his breath billowing onto the tree and snaking off to the other side. It came out in quick pants, shaky but tractable. What did she want with him? The fact that the coyote-boy had not heard the girl comeing unnerved him extremely. A maiden who crept around the woods silently had to be searching for something.
There was no movement or sound from the other side of Citlali’s broad hiding spot. The moment of harmony had allowed the boy to catch the girl’s scent. It was unfamiliar like most fragrances outside of Salsola and Anathema. The flutter and toss of the river was the only thing to be heard for the moment. Off-white fingers clenched the glistening knife, edged with dirt yet still menacing. He had no intention of using it, as he would rather flee than fight, but wanted to look somewhat assuring, even to himself. His heart was still pounded electricity through his veins.
The girl's sharp gaze attempted to peer into the satchel without disturbing it. Perhaps there were other plants in there or tools that would be interesting to see. Things that she hadn't seen before. The sound of the male moving caused her to turn her head, though, crouching cautiously because she was rather sure she had been found out. She was correct, too, as she spotted the glint of his knife against the sun. Her heart started to beat faster. Perhaps it had not been wise to try and sate her curiosity by peering into his bag. If he thought she was a thief, he might attack her to protect his property. Parker had meant no harm and he did not smell of AniWaya but that didn't mean he was safe... not by a long shot. The girl flipped her ears back, slowly backing up herself to stop seeming like a threat to him. He was hiding, but he was not where he had been before; that meant he was not doing what he had been doing before she arrived.
Licking her lips, she decided to break the silence. If she ran, he might give chase. They were Luperci and one of the benefits of their evolution was that they could talk to one another. They could rationalize through problems and didn't have to resort to violence in everything. Perhaps she could speak with him and explain what she was doing. "Sorry, didn't mean to cause problem." she said, with palms displayed in what she believed was a universal sign of "I meant no harm." Hoping that he would come out or drop the knife or do something to show he wasn't a murderer. Her heart beat hard in her chest; maybe now was a good time to run, while he was considering her words. Yet she remained still. Not wanting to get her coat all dirty for nothing. Maybe this encounter wasn't entirely lost. Perhaps he would show her what was in the satchel. Then she would have still accomplished what she had come over here to see. Not to mention she would still be breathing and that was always a huge plus in her book.
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