He ventured north. Though the Crimson Dream's pack lands and past the border, the russet male then took the distance between the two packs easily and without must rest. Oak had yet to visit the Dreamer’s northern neighbors, and he was curious to know what the culture of that pack was like. Even though there was something different that made the bordering lines more tangible and even breakable Oak could not help but weaver at their lines. There was a instinctual rule that told him to wait respectfully.
He lingered on the outskirts in his lupus form, rounding the coastal territory nimbly. His courage was growing and momentum building. The tree-named wolf paused for only a moment before he shifted into his Optime form. Dark fingers raked thorough the short, previously cut mane. It always took him a moment to catch his breath after the change, and he allowed himself the moment of solitude.
Tail wagged softly, and Oak took a few steps into the pack’s lands. Slowly he walked, ears moving to catch the sound of another that may be near. But he did not cover much ground at all before his moral mind told him that he could go no further without permission. Black nose rose to the wintery sky, its clouds covering any sign of blue, and let out a small call to any that may be near. Warning them of his presence.
When she had joined the first time around, Bambi hadn't done much greeting. But she had promised to be more active within the pack, and so she swallowed her own insecurities and began putting herself out there.
She had heard the call of the wolf from a nearby wooded area. She was traveling with just her feline companion. She still felt strange when leaving her rabbits alone, but they often distracted her from getting things done. The dog made her way out of the forest, tumbling over bushes and trying to keep from dropping her feather scarf. When she finally made her way out of the wood maze, she turned to check and make sure Nana was close behind. Before she began getting sick, she would have had no trouble keeping up. Even with her old age, she had always kept the stamina of a young, eager kitten. She heard the cat heaving and ran back to get her, scooping her up and then bursting out of the wooded area once again. It must have been an odd site for the brute, but it had to be done. She couldn't stand seeing her feline mother harm herself by pushing her fragile old body to hard.
The male had approached the borders with uttermost respect. Bambi bowed, offering out her hand for a touch of approval. She didn't hold that position for a long while, fearing that he would take it the wrong way. "Hello, I am Bambi." She said in her whispered tone. "What brings you to Cercatori d'Arte today?"
Oak was not the most patient of the tree named sons. He knew that Alder could wait for much longer then he ever could, and in his eyes Cypress was far more patient too. Oak felt the need to pace; charcoal and deep russet foot-paws shuffled and raked the ground as he fought the urge. In his quest for knowledge he also needed to learn the ways of an adult, his age had surpassed the name months ago and yet he still felt the pines of an immature male. The red tinged wolf knew who he needed to be, honest, kind, patient and a gentleman. But the powers that surrounded him, and the threads that laced together his personality made the journey to such a destination difficult.
He had sat on his tail as he waited; the time far less then what he felt had lapsed. Then, he heard the stirrings of the wood around him and he shot up to his feet once again. Tore bay eyes looked for the origin of the sound, and he was a bit startled as a figure came hurriedly through the trees. The odd pattered canine hugging a cat gave a bow, and Oak watched with round wide eyes. He took the offered hand and gave it an awkward shake and turned his ears towards her as he worked hard to listen to her hushed voice.
Oak cleared his throat, his chest a bit puffed out as he gave his introduction. I’m Oak. Veles of Crimson Dreams. Such words were practiced, though his ranking was fairly new. Oak had only just begun to rise within his pack mates, bringing him a fair amount of pride. His next bought of words were less confident, yet his masculine tone was even, I was hoping to understand your pack better. His answer was honest, his curiosity plain as day. He looked at the merle fey and feline friend with a smile, hoping that perhaps there was something interesting she could show him.
Bambi couldn't help but giggle when the boy named Oak shook her hand instead of just giving it an approval touch. She gave the wolf a toothy grin, demonstrating that she was laughing at more the silly seeming gesture he made rather than at him in general. He had a young looking face, but was quite large. In fact, most likely larger than the dog herself. His fur was a mush of beautiful browns and tans- Making it look almost as if he had recently rolled in mud. But the different shades were weighed out so perfectly that it would still appear gorgeous even if that had been the case.
For a dog that was part of the pack that was currently being visited, she probably knew less about it then most of the strangers that stopped over. "Well.. We're a peaceful pack, and accept talents of all kinds. For livestock we have horses, lots of chickens, sheep, cows, goats.. And I've been raising a few bunnies." She paused, raising her eyes up to meet the male's. "You guys have those too, don't you?" Asked Bambi, trying her best not to sound completely clueless.. Though she wasn't sure if she succeeded.
The deer-named dog thought back to the meeting that had occurred not to long ago, attempting to think of any more interesting information she could give to the male. "Oh!" She said, touching her palms together excitedly. "We've got a boat! Right near Flander's field.. Wanna see?"
He was a bit awkward as she giggled at his actions. Oak brought his hand to his side, and gave a bit of a grin as reply to her gesture. There was no instinct that told him how to react to such a greeting, and he did his best, smiling all the while.
Blue gaze watched her, moving slowly and it was gentle enough not to be called a stare. She looked at him just the same, taking in his features as he did hers. Her figure was more of a doggish pose then that of his wolf blood. Folded tipped ears and a merle collie coat, she was interesting and speckled and her eyes distinct.
She spoke of Cercatori d'Arte, and the pack seemed to be a good fit for a northern neighbor of the Dreamers. They were welcoming, and if they needed to trade there seemed to be enough various in their stock to help if they needed it. He shook his head, No, we have a few goats and llamas. But that is all. they had yet to find use for the livestock, the goats more like residents and the llamas the pets of his sister and her mate. Their ways and culture gave them food for hungry bellies, and a safe place to raise their litters. It was a simple living.
His brows rose slightly as she added an excited note about a boat. Yes, I do! Oak replied, his smile widening.
"Llamas.. They spit on you, right?" She said, wrinkling up her nose. She could deal with many things that others may find revolting or impossible; blood, torture, vomit, and so on and so forth. But when it came to things like the spit of other animals and such, she just couldn't deal. On the farm at her camp, they had these large, overgrown rabbit looking things- which she assumed to be 'llamas'. But with much shorter ears. She didn't like them much- Since all they really seemed to do was eat, spit, and poop. She couldn't think of why a pack would volunteerly keep them around, "If I'm remembering correctly, I think they took their wool. Or fur. Whatever it is on them." She hoped that she had never eaten one before. She wasn't normally picky about what she chowed down on, but every time she had been forced to visit the overgrown rabbits- They were doing something disgusting.
"Well, I don't mean to disturb you two, but I don't want to go." Nana said. Bambi rolled her eyes, used to the ever changing mood of her companion. "Alright." She said, placing the cat on the ground. Old Nana looked back at her, flicking her tail, then taking off at the fastest pace her old body would allow. To avoid an awkward moment, she covered up her feline mother's rude behavior by talking again. "So, how long are you going to be here? I mean.. At CdA. Where are you staying?" She rushed out the words all to quickly, causing her to stumble over them. She looked at the ground, drilling a hole into it with frustrated eyes. "Sorry. I'm not good at talking.. See, that cat, Nana,"Bambi jerked her head to the direction her friend had run off into to specify. "Usually does it for me.." She straightened up, looking around then taking off towards the direction of Flander's field- Checking back every few seconds to ensure he was following.
He laughed at her joking tone, smiling softly and looking to the ground before answering. I keep my distance. He replied as his gaze caught her light orbs. He was not one for other species. They were more like prey to him rather then companions. But he was learning to understand, and with the knowledge came more of a comfort and confidence around them.
There was a sudden voice among the pair, and Oak slowly looked down at the cat in her arms. Slightly surprised that she had something to say at all, let alone in their Higher Speech. The collie woman placed her neatly on the ground, and Oak watched with amazement. Canines and cats living so closely… The puppyish part of him wished to send the feline up a tree. But the Dreaming male had much better control and manners then that.
It was at her second question that Oak smiled, again. His arms crossed casually across his stomach, his tone even and with a hint of true amusement. I think your doing fine. She was a pretty creature, and her hesitation was far from warranted in his eyes.
As Oak followed he thought about the questions that she had asked in the past moments. I don’t know, honestly. Do you have a suggestion. The words came as he caught up with her stride and walked beside her. Tore bay eyes looked at the female, brows lifted slightly in interest.
"That's smart. But unfortunately for me, being a slave didn't give me that luxury." She stated it sort of matter-of-fact, but there was a smile in her tone. She didn't find herself minding Oak's company all that much. She couldn't be sure if she liked him because of his beauty, of his gentle nature. Either way, the voice in the back of her mind was beginning to whisper that she should shut down.. That if she continued on, she may end up getting hurt.
Bambi looked at the tree named boy, smiling softly and bringing her hand up to her face. She curled her fingers together, her cheeks showing a tint of a blush. In all her time in the slave camp, she never found herself interested in the company of the males. Most of them were rude, and claimed that in her being a female, she 'owed' them sexual favors. Of course if they were caught they would both be brutally beaten and sentenced to double the work of the others.. Yet the men still tried. The dog shook her head, trying to fling the thoughts off as she would drops of water. "I-I think you're just trying to be nice." She tried to say this casually, as if she didn't care. But it wasn't often that others would even say things just to save her embarrassment, so she was slightly flattered anyways.
After allowing her mind to go back to the males who inhabited her old camp, she had trouble trusting Oak as much. Some part of her believed that he was good.. But the other sections thought that he was the same as the others, just better at hiding his true nature. After enabling herself to think on it for a few more moments, she decided to give him a chance. She found it wasn't all that fair to judge him by others' previous mistakes. "You.. You could stay with me if you wanted. I live right by the stables, because I occasionally visit the animals." She ignored the fact that she had repeated the word 'you' twice, trying to be more patient with her odd speaking patterns. "And there is no llamas in them, either!" She turned to face the wolf that had just caught up to her, smiling at him.
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He didn’t quite understand her, the remark about the slaves. The words were lighter then he would have imagined when the word was used, but that was not how she expressed it. The male had too much of a curious nature to let it slip unaddressed and his wondering unanswered. You have slaves here? He tried not to sound as astonished as he felt, but he could hardly imagine her saying yes.
She was touched by his words, perhaps embarrassed and he found her reaction slightly encouraging. Oak shook his head, still finding his thoughts lingering around the prospect of slavery, and replied in a soft tone. Honest. My mother taught me not to lie. It was true, Anu had always taught then to be honest. It would make then honorable beasts.
There was something in her that hesitated; the stutter revealed her insecurity but there was still a pause that followed his words. She did not need to and yet she invited him into her home, Oak was a bit unsure himself for the female’s comfort was to be placed first and foremost. Her quick thought sprang before he could reply, and it caused his smile to return. Thank you for your hospitality. Is your whole pack this friendly? He ended with a small question, his pace meeting the female’s and walking quietly along.
"No, of course not!" Bambi couldn't help but giggle, even with his worried sounding tone. She couldn't imagine Skye, or any of the members of CdA, harboring slaves. The shy dog was even at this point unaware that Salsola had them. These lands had dangerous things in them, but they were much more peaceful then where she originally resided from. A few times while hunting for her master she had wandered to far and ended up face to face with another slave camp's vicious guardian. So she figured that if CdA didn't have slaves, neither would the packs around them.
"And my mother taught me not to talk," She said, countering his statement. Her voice wasn't harsh, but had a tad bit of mischief added in to her hushed words. She was going against her own mother in speaking to him, so why would his mother's lessons stop him from fibbing towards her? "but every one breaks the rules some times, eh?" Bambi stopped walking when she caught sight of the boat not to far away. "Do you think the water is only blue because of the sky reflecting off of it?" She asked, now moving towards the wooden ship again. Her own curious nature was showing now. She often voiced questions out loud when she was studying things, but normally wasn't accompanied.
"I don't know if they're all this overly friendly.. Haven't met all of them. I just rejoined recently." The Lafron was close enough to the boat now to touch it. She leaned against it, crossing her arms across her chest. "What do you-" Her sentence was interrupted by a splash of water which she recognized to be caused by her. A whine left her maw as she hit the ground, the shallow aqua not doing much to soften her fall. She didn't really know what she had tripped on, but found her pained rump to be more the source of her attention. "Ow," She said, not bothering to get up from the ground. The surprised overwrote the pain, and she found herself to be more embarrassed than anything. She wasn't good at being social, and her awkwardness was showing now more then ever. "I meant.. What do you think about it? The boat, not my graceful fall.."
Oak was relieved to know that the pack did not have slaves. It was a tragedy that anyone would be held against his or her will, culture or not. She countered with a small bit about her own mother, tone teasing or joking. Oak smiled, he and his brothers would be the only one that knew of his mother’s persistence on the honesty matter and there was nothing that he would lie to her about. Your should break the rules more often, with such a beautiful voice. Oak complimented. They could both be lighthearted, teasing and mischievous.
He paused as she did, looking at the ship as she spoke of the water. He didn’t know, and wondered the very same thing. But there was no time to respond, and had to take a few hurried steps to keep up with her once again.
They reached the vessel and Oak looked up at it in awe. The pack had done a good job in building or restoring the vessel. He could hardly believe it’s size, it was nothing like the small boats that they Dreamer’s had at Rabbit Lake. That could only hold one or two wolves. This… he couldn’t even begin to process how many could ride on it.
Then she fell
Oak moved towards her hurriedly, trying not to laugh out right at her fall. He stepped into the water, giving a paw to help her up slowly and gently. It’s amazing. He assured her, speaking about bother despite her hopes for her fall to be ignored.
"Yet it barely works anymore," She replied from the ground, referring to the comment Oak made about her voice. She didn't find it pretty- Much less beautiful. But then again, she hardly found anything about herself attractive.
Maybe the young Aussie was good looking once upon a time. But the things she had been forced to do in her camp had made her an ugly person on the inside. Now, whenever she looked in the water, or walked past anything that would show her a glimpse of herself- That's all she could see. Worn and bloody, all the people she couldn't save. The ones that didn't get out.
She touched her creamy coloured pawpads touching his, using it to pull herself up. They were inches away from each other, and she bumped her nose against his playfully. He was easy to be around- Non threatening. Breaking the moment, she stepped back away from him. The girl ran her fingers through her hair, her long claws working nicely as a comb. She braided her silver hair in to a long, thick braid. "See.. Now this is something to be considered beautiful." lilted the dog, gesturing towards the boat. She gripped her deer skin loin-cloth, wringing out some of the water it had absorbed.
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Her temperament seemed to turn from unconfident to playful and silly in a moment’s turn. Oak said nothing when she commented on her vocals, unsure of what was left to say to encourage the smaller canine. But then when they stood close together she touched his nose as if she wasn’t unsure of anything at all. The Dreamer looked on with a smile, trying to untangle the mixed messages in his mind.
The ship was the proper distraction and he nodded at her comment. It is. The Dreamer took a few steps back to take in the full view of the vessel. He had many questions, and the first would not be spoken. What would it take for the Dreamers to have such a thing? He pictured it by the small parcel of beach that they claimed as their own. But it did not fit in the serene setting. The Dreaming pack members were many things but not sailors.
Will you sail on it? He asked Bambi, looking back at her as she tried to dry herself off.
Word Count → 300+ . 3 points. :: Yes, I most definitely did use the word 'tootsies' to replace feet.
The canine patted the side of the boat, just as one would do to a horse. She could feel that it was sturdy, but by the sound, assumed that the bottom part could hold things. The noise that it gave off made it sound hollow.. "But what would they carry down there?" She wondered. Then her mind thought of all the precious cargo they could get from other areas.
She walked a bit away from Oak and the boat, using the distant space to shake off particles of water without wetting any one else. She was sure the boat may not really 'mind' getting wet, for that's what it was made for. But she thought it may be rude to shake off water on to the Dreamer boy, "Plus.. Think I teased him enough for today." With this thought came a question, would she ever see him again? He was part of a different pack.. One that could be miles away. Something in her mind whispered that she wished to see him again. "Maybe I'll just have to go visit him,"
Bambi strolled back over to the sir, thinking about his question. It would be a great experience, since she had never ridden a boat before. "I'm not sure.." The ship seemed sturdy enough, but water could get rough. "I kinda like having both feet on the ground." She said, wiggling her toes in the sand. She couldn't quite feel it like a human's tootsie's would, but it still felt nice.
They had run out of things to really talk about. He had asked about her pack, and this is what she had shown him. A nice representation of the group's union and creative skills, but now the air was empty. "Oak? She whispered in her hushed voice. It was the first time she had really spoken his name aloud but.. Even in her choppy way of speaking, it still had a certain beauty about it. "Where is your pack? Distance." She could probably sniff it out on her own later on, but didn't want to risk getting lost. Additionally, she liked to know how far away something was before making plans to set out after it. "Could come see you some time..? I mean, if you don't mind." She said, toying with her ear nervously. <style type="text/css">
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[html] we should have another thread! & plotnessss
His imagination swelled like the tides the great ship would ride upon. He pictured what it would be like to stand on the rocking surface of the boat, to man the sail or swab the deck. Oak thought of Bambi, the gentle creature as she did the same. She replied, and he could relate to her words greatly. The Dreamer nodded, Me too giving her a wink as he spoke. He was not one for horses, and that was all he could compare riding on a ship to. Not using his legs just simply seemed odd, and unstable. Seasickness was not something Oak had ever experienced but he would quickly find out that he was the perfect candidate for leaning over the side of the ship and emptying his gut.
There was a bit of silence as he examined the ship, and he found nothing wrong with the quiet. He figured that the female was more comfortable in it as well, her speech so hushed and her previous comments guiding him to that conclusion as well.
Her voice broke his thoughts, and he looked back at the meek woman and smiled before she even asked her question. He allowed her to finish her thoughts completely, knowing that the female could a bit longer then most to express herself and that her feelings were greatly worth the wait. Visit him? Oak liked the idea instantly, and nodded as he took a step towards his new friend and away from the boat. I would like that. He replied with a happy tone. It isn’t far, half a days walk. You could always spend the night too, if you wanted.
