The valley green was so serene

Drakien Lusk · 02-01-2012, 10:34 PM

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EDIT: Someone's IM'd me about this thread, so it's taken now! Sorriess. :3 (Happens about mid-afternoon, Drifter Bay/Halcyon Mountain area near the Pictou river.) :: Word Count → 1089

Drakien had left the festival for a while to return to what he'd come to consider 'his' cave in Drifter Bay, close to the river and near the Halcyon mountains. Breixo seemed relieved to be away from other horses, and for the first time since they'd come to these lands Drakien pulled the blanket off his back and brushed him a bit before setting him out to wander in the marshy lands of Drifter Bay. The horse snorted, shaking his head with the gold-plaited ring gleaming in his nose, and wandered off, tail flicking and head held high. So long as he didn't wander far--and Drakien knew he wouldn't, not more than a few miles--Breixo was free to roam; he was trained to return at the sound of a howl from his master, and the wolf highly doubted that all that training would simply go up in smoke.

As the palomino disappeared over a rise, Drakien settled back against the entrance of his cave, his arms crossed over his chest and his ears laid flat as he gazed out over the tall grasses before him. There were a few packs around this area, he knew, and he'd heard rumors of one more banding together farther north, but he didn't let that bother him, as he was still in neutral territory and not, at least that he was aware of, anywhere close to trespassing. Still, some people were hostile just to be hostile, and he'd have to be on the lookout for intruders into his own small slice of paradise.

After a long moment of nothing, he let out a ruffled sigh, and shook his head, running a hand through his long mane before retreating farther into the den. He rummaged for a moment in his bags, and managed to find the furs he'd traded for, both with Amy and with other merchants. There were a few golden fox pelts, and of course the bears that Amy had given him. He sorted through them, somewhat surprised to find that he had more than enough to make his cloak; there were probably enough for two, if the second was small. He gathered the three bear pelts, one a plain, gleaming brown, the other two black and ringed with cinnamon, respectively. After another moment, he fished out the Romani dagger that Amy had also traded him for, and balanced it on his palm for a moment before moving back out to the smoother rocks of the entrance. There was a slight overhang, rather like a front porch, and he settled there, spreading out the black pelt first and holding the dagger carefully in one hand.

Singing rather tunelessly to himself, he began cutting careful patches out of the pelt, setting them aside in a slowly growing pile as the day wore on. He didn't know what he planned to do with the different, unevenly-cut patches just yet, but as he had no dyes to speak of, he rather hoped there would be enough to at least sew the three different pelts together in an interesting fashion. And the foxes...perhaps those could be made into some sort of hood.

With ideas flitting through his head and a more mechanical routine settling into his limbs, Drakien was too far gone to notice much of anything except the sound of his own voice and the smooth, sharp slice of his blade. It was therefore a surprise when Breixo returned, stamping his feet urgently and whinnying. Drakien very nearly cut himself at the display, and looked up sharply, watching the stallion in confusion. "Ce este greşit, Breixo?" He demanded, and brushed his hands off, tucking the knife into his waistband and moving to calm the startled stallion. Breixo would not be calmed, however, and pulled away at his touch, very clearly wanting Drakien to follow him.

"Breixo, what's gotten into you?" He murmured, and reached out again, startled when the Vanner actually snapped his teeth at the hand. The horse stamped his feet again, and Drakien tilted his head, watching the horse warily. Breixo was more concerned with his panic, however, and as he stamped and turned, shaking his head wildly, Drakien saw the deep claw marks in his hindquarters. No wonder he didn't want the male touching him! Moving forward again, he attempted to calm the horse, his ears pricked for any signs of the cougar that must have done this.

"Calm, Breixo! Calm." He soothed, and made the low whickering noise he'd learned as a young horse trader which was meant to soothe. It didn't work as well as it should have, however, and in the end Drakien was forced to lunge for the tick ring through Breixo's nose, twisting and pulling in the hopes that the new, fresh pain would distract him from the fear. The horse whinnied again, attempting to toss his head and only hurting himself more as Drakien put all of his weight onto the ring, and finally, trembling, let his legs collapse beneath him. Blood oozed from the wounds, and Drakien stroked his companion's long nose, murmuring soothing words of comfort as he did so, before he moved around to inspect them.

They dug deep, tearing into the muscle; Drakien found himself surprised Breixo had remained standing so long, and managed to make it back from wherever it was he'd encountered the beast--a cougar, probably--without collapsing. The wounds were bleeding freely now, though, and Drakien hissed uncomfortably, laying his hand along the hip just above them and shaking his head. That Breixo had gotten away only made him prouder, and he hoped the damned cat had gotten a good kick to the skull, too. There was no way to tell, though, not with the red dripping down his flanks. With a deep breath, Drakien rose, running his hand up Breixo's neck.

"Wait here, my boy." He murmured soothingly, watching the horse's eyes roll wildly. "Just wait here and rest. I'll come back with something to help you." He promised, and ran his hand up the horse's neck a few more times before he set out, tucking his dagger into his waistband. There had to be some familiar plants around these parts, and he knew well enough how to make a poultice; he didn't have the equipment for it, but with the river near by, he was certain he could come up with something. He only hoped it didn't take too long, or poor Breixo might be too far gone to save.

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-12-2012, 07:29 AM

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OOC: Sorry I took so long to reply!

shirt, jacket, jeans

Vikas was as far north as he had ever been. There wasn't much of a reason for it, either. He was just traveling to get acquainted with the new world he was living in. There was still so much he didn't know, and that was bothering him. He didn't like feeling vulnerable or ignorant. Today was an especially vulnerable day, in Vikas' mind. The young wolf had been lugging around all of his possessions in chunky bags that wore his arms down and bounced roughly against his sides. He was even starting to get light bruising from it, which truly angered him. He would have liked to think his flesh was a little thicker than that. But today, he was carrying very little. Vikas had chanced upon an old, decaying barn in the northern part of Drifter Bay. The barn itself was unremarkable, but it had a decent cellar beneath it, and better yet, a key to lock the door with. He now wore that very key around his neck with a long piece of twine.

Remembering this, Vikas zipped up the front of his jacket. He didn't really need clothes for warmth, being a wolf and all, but it did help. More importantly right now, it covered any sign of his key necklace and provided plenty of pockets for the crud he did want to bring with him. The youth walked calmly through the chilly fields, enjoying the new territory. Currently he didn't think he was anywhere near a pack, so he didn't expect any company. He was therefore happily surprised at the scent of another luperci. He followed the smell until it became strong enough to identify as belonging to an older male. He kept on, although his "prey" soon walked straight into his path, ending Vikas' search abruptly.

The man was tall, very tall. It was bad enough that most luperci were taller than him, but this guy was like a skyscraper in comparison. He wore clothes too, although they were looser and simpler than Vikas'. The man was a hodge-podge of browns and greys, but Vikas could tell little else about the stranger except the fact that he looked hurried. Vikas closed in, darting around shrubbery to get close enough to speak to the other wolf. "You alright?" Vikas called out to him, hoping he could be of assistance somehow. He was already losing that content feeling from peacefully walking around, and was quickly growing bored.

Vikas Limonchenko

Drakien Lusk · 02-13-2012, 10:07 PM

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Word Count → 402 :: OOC here!

Drakien didn't make it very far before he found the Pictou river, and paused there, trying to remember what sort of plants would help his dear friend. Cinnamon bark, but those trees wouldn't grow around here; nettles? He might be able to help fight infection. There was also kelp, if he remembered correctly, and as that was the sort of thing to be found on the beach, he began following the river, keeping an eye out for anything sneaking up on him--or anyone, for that matter. But, as he found a patch of familiar plants, he was momentarily distracted, bending to begin cutting the stalks. He could feed these to Breixo, and that would also bring down any fever he might get; it was better to stock up on them while he could.

He'd cleared most of the bush when he heard someone coming up on him, and his ears lifted, though his eyes remained focused on the plant in his hands. As the younger male made himself known, asking if he was alright, Drakien glanced up and grunted briefly, focusing for a moment on pulling the last of the plant out from the roots. Only the leaves, as far as he knew, were useful, but he could always use the rest of the plant for other things. It took him a moment more to reply to the boy, and he didn't until he'd tucked the plants into the bag he'd only just remembered to grab. Then he turned his gaze to his company, his brow furrowed and his eyes dark with worry.

"I am fine." He said, though the distracted tone of his voice betrayed him. After a moment, he tucked the knife into the waistband of his pants and began walking again, his strides quicker than usual. After a moment, he added, "We'd both best be careful. There's a cougar out here somewhere." Though the warning was sincere, his voice sounded as though his heart wasn't in it, and as he continued following the river, he felt his heart clenching. If he didn't get back in time...if Breixo died...could he take that? Could he stand losing his best, his only friend? His companion? There was so little time, with only the nettles, to prevent fever, and little else, he could only hope. But he couldn't go back yet; he wouldn't, without all the help he could carry.

Vikas Limonchenko · 02-15-2012, 03:26 AM

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OOC:

The stranger didn't seem terribly interested in Vikas. He felt slightly insulted, although the feeling was a bit silly. It wasn't like the guy had been asking for company, so why would he leap up and embrace Vikas? Still, it made the younger male pout a little. The long-haired male kept to his plants, giving no more than the bare minimum required of a decent reply. Despite what was probably supposed to shoo Vikas away, the grey wolf could tell there was something wrong. It was written all over the other guy's face. That, and he was acting like a paranoid hermit. Maybe Vikas had stumbled upon a wondrous plant that the stranger didn't want him to know about. Not that it would be of much use to Vikas, unless he could sell it for something good. Actually, that didn't sound half bad. He peered curiously around the taller male's body, inspecting the plants.

The stranger walked around a bit, convincing Vikas that he was done with their conversation, when he spoke up again. It was an ice-breaker of sorts. The wolf narrowed his eyes. "A cougar? Great time to pick a pocketful of posies." Vikas stretched, outwardly unconcerned about the cougar. Actually, the thought of a predator like that roaming around greatly interested him. If he were left to his own devices, he'd probably go out and try to harass the animal just to see how close he could get before getting mauled. But he didn't want to do anything like that with someone else nearby. He shoved his hands into his front pockets, moseying after the bothered male. "Ya know," he said casually, looking into the river. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say something is bothering you." Not that he really cared. He just wanted someone to bother.

Vikas Limonchenko

Drakien Lusk · 02-23-2012, 06:18 PM

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Word Count → 419 :: OOC here!

The boy following him around was unnecessarily annoying. Perhaps it was because Drakien didn't really have time to stop and chat; he thought it might mostly be that he was overly confidant and somewhat cocky. Drakien really didn't have time for that. Still, he laid out his warning, and then moved off, following the river which he could just see glittering out of the corner of his eye. Then he had to pause, because he wasn't sure if he'd have time to make it all the way to the beach, find kelp, and come back. How much kelp would he need? Were the nettles in his bag enough? The questions only served to distract and stress him more than before. So it was with a far-away look in his eyes and an absent voice that he answered, "They're not posies. They're nettles. For infection," He added, and began walking again, this time toward the river. If he could find any kelp that may have washed down from a spring farther up. Or even an ocean; he hadn't explored that far yet.

If he could find nothing, however, then he would return without it. He hadn't gotten very far when the younger male began harassing him again, and he spared the male a small glare as he walked, finding the riverbed and plunging his hands into the icy water without thought. "As a matter of fact, I am bothered," He grumbled, and groped around the rocks at the bottom, hoping to find even a single strand of seaweed. He found none. Shrugging it off, he got up, brushing the water off his hands and ignoring the chill in the air which quickly brought numbing tingles to his forearms. "There is a cougar somewhere out here, and rather than going and taking revenge on the stupid beast, I have to clean up after it." Shaking his head in irritation, he began heading back to the cave, keeping an ear perked for any pained cries Breixo might have uttered. There were none; that frightened him. Glancing at the gray male following him about, he pressed his ears back in a somewhat angry expression as he added in more of a snarl, "And now that you've come along, I've wasted valuable time entertaining your inane desire for conversation, rather than helping anyone." His voice descended into a smaller, quieter tone, betraying the fact that he wasn't actually angry; worry sometimes did that to him, making him more snappish and snarly than anything.

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