She's waiting like an iceburg
#1
[html]


Arkham, Swamp Soyse


Naniko had never gone this far before, following the river. She had been afraid that if she followed it too far this way it would go off of Bleeding Souls territory, without ending. She had always been interested in the Yawraw, as it brought most of her food supply in--fresh fish. Lately she had been healing a lot of the forest animals, and it was getting harder and harder for her to hunt without finding one of the ones she had helped out in the past. She didn't heal fish, though, so she was fine with catching them. She carried a fish in her mouth as she walked, a large carp. Naniko was a fairly good sized wolf, so the carp would only fill her up a little bit...but she could catch more later.



The lands were changing now, the waters forming a large triangle in front of her. She looked on curiously, looking at the place where it emptied out into bigger waters. How strange! She padded along the bank of the partially frozen river, following it. The ocean seemed to be warmer than the water from the river, so the area where they connected was melted. She went through the dead grasses that stuck up out of the snow, her four paws crunching through the snow. The waters were rushing by really fast into the ocean, and fish jumped up out of the water where the current hit the waves from the ocean. Perfect! She'd get more fish here. The Tears wolf put her fish down on the ground, starting to wade into the water, toward the faster current.



[/html]
#2
[html]

I suck at life! Thanks so much for reminding me because I totally never saw this! D:



He didn't like the swamp very much. The ground was soggy and uncertain and he always had the feeling something bad was going to happen or that someone was hiding behind the trees watching him. The trees were eerier than they were anywhere else and he disliked the way the river split into so many tiny little streams that had no power on their own. The grey coyote pup stepped over one such stream -- it was cut deep into the ground, but was thin enough for him to just walk over. Arkham wasn't really sure why he felt so contemptous towards it, but he did anyhow. Maybe it was just his frustration with things in general leaking into a distaste for his surroundings, but it was there all the same.



He loved the beach and the ocean, but even the land closest to it didn't compare. This swamp was nothing and neither were the mountains or even the city! Certainly there were a thousand things to discover and explore, books to read and things to learn, but it wasn't the same. The city was so grey and angular, the exact opposite of the soft slopes in the sand and the brilliantly colorful sunsets against the ocean horizon. And his father's pack, the place where his sister now lived, it was alright -- he had liked the lake and river well enough anyway, but he still wasn't sure what to think of the fog. It almost reminded him of the swamp here now that he was thinking about it. It felt suspicious and strange. He hated the feeling that he was being watched.



There was splashing nearby just then and blue-still-shifting-red eyes looked over in the other direction. Through the leaning trees and boggy pools was a white wolfess splashing through a larger section of the tributaries. The wind was neutral, but he thought he smelt Clouded Tears and she sort of looked like Melisande, didn't she? Happy for the anticipated company, the pup bounded off in the other's direction, Hey! What're you doing!
[/html]
#3
[html]




She was concentrating on going toward the place where the fish were the best, where they were jumping out the highest. One would probably just jump right into her mouth, if she sat still! There was a large sandbar in the middle of the water that she could sit on; how perfect! She started to hum as she went farther out, her head occasionally dipping beneath the water. It was a strange sort of swim; sort of a float, sort of a doggy paddle. A mixture.


The green eyed wolf heard a voice behind her, but she couldn't stop to turn around without being forced farther down the river, out of reach of the fish. She paddled quickly now, reaching the sandbar and pulling herself up onto it. Her ears perked and she looked about quizzically, turning back to see who had called her. Perhaps they would want to fish, too!


"Hello there! Me?" Well, duh. Of course her. "I'm going to try and catch some of these fish; see how they're jumping? You should come out here--if you can. The waters might be too strong" It might be nice to have somebody to talk to, someone of her own species for once. Or...close to her own species.

[/html]
#4
[html]

Hello, he greeted politely, now standing on the damp riverbed. He eyed the waters suspiciously and tried to gauge the strength of the currents. Unfortunately, he found himself still rather hesitant at the prospect of trying to cross a moving current despite how easy it had been with Melisande. This portion of the river, though seperated from the main of the Yawrah, seemed significantly stronger than it had been at the point he had crossed it before. I'm... not a very good swimmer, he told the stranger and hoped quietly in the back of his head that she wouldn't use this admission of weakness against him somehow. The paranoia was a constant, but he only decided to awknowledge it some of the time. He wasn't sure if this should be one of those times or not.



The fish were jumping though. He had never seen them like that before -- they sure as hell didn't do that in the ocean. Why are they doing that? the grey pup wondered, red eyes wide. Do they want to get eaten? It seemed like absurd behavior to him. All anyone had to do was snatch them out of the air and then they would be dinner. Maybe one suicidal fish could make sense, though Arkham doubted that fish were intelligent enough for that, but all even if that were the case, a whole river full of them?
[/html]
#5
[html]



There was an area a little closer to the whelp that she could fish from, maybe...one that wasn't quite as deep. She sank down into the water, starting back across the river. The current was pulling at her harder this time, and her limbs were already tired; she was pulled away from him a little bit, and ended up coming ashore much farther downstream. Once her paws touched the sand she was walking toward the younger one, tail held at a friendly, comfortable position.

She could answer his question now that she was getting her breath back, and did so, sitting down a few feet away from him. People had personal boundaries; she had no desire to get too close. I think they're confused. There are a few rocks down there, I think, and the fish don't know what to do. The rocks are almost sticking out of the water--maybe they think they need to jump over to get through" She looked back to that section of the river, where the silver was still flashing in the sun. "I'm not sure if they really want to be eaten...but why not take advantage of it? Your parents would be happy if you brought something as big as a carp or salmon home with you--and they won't know how easy it was to get them"
[/html]
#6
[html]

Sorry I'm still so slow. D:



He watched curiously as she made her way towards him, taking note of how she was swimming. It amazed him somewhat that people were able to master the currents like that, but he could also see that even she, a full grown wolfess, was having trouble with it and reaffirmed to himself that it was probably a good idea that he hadn't tried to cross the river. He just wasn't big enough yet; putting off learning how to properly swim for a bit longer wouldn't hurt. As she approached from further down the shoreline, his red eyes found their way back to the jumping fish, trying to put himself in a fish's position to trying to understand their behavior. It was difficult though because no matter how much he thought, he wasn't a fish and couldn't really imagine swimming down the current. He wondered what the river looked like from under water?



I guess that would be cool, he said, turning to the femme again, To bring home a big fish, though m'brother probably wouldn't care much. M'mum and dad probably wouldn't either, even if they were around. There was no sadness in his voice when he told her this though; he had already come to accept that Kaena was simply gone and that Laruku couldn't be there even if he wanted (though he also doubted that he wanted that). It was okay. He was happy with the family he had left (except Andre) and wasn't going to wish that his parents were around if they were more content to be elsewhere. He wasn't that selfish, anyway. Have you caught anything yet?
[/html]
#7
[html]
It's okays :] And Haha, Naniko loves pups wwayyyy too much. >_>; If she ever had her own they would be coddled to death.


Naniko didn't hold anything against this little coyote. It was true that she'd been attacked, but for all she knew they could have been rogue coyotes, and not ones that were a part of Inferni. They hadn't been even close the coyote's territory, after all. She had been out looking for Conri, but she wasn't stupid enough to go into a place where she knew that she would be unwelcomed. Especially so because she was from Clouded Tears.

"Really? Well, if you can catch one then I'll eat it with you. I know how to start fires, too--I could show you, and then we could eat together"She nodded in response to his next question. "A carp-it's over there. But these are so much bigger"

Naniko wondered if he would want to eat with her or not. To her Arkham was a little one, albeit a coyote, that had said that his parents wouldn't care about his achievements. She was already ready to run in and start taking care of him.

[/html]
#8
[html]


As he had grew older, curiosity and a want of learning came to slowly replace the strange childhood apathy that had once been there. Oh, he still liked the quiet and the silence, but only to a certain extent. Loneliness was something he had come to learn as people moved away, one by one, and he sought out the substitute company unknowingly. Strangers' voices attracted him in a moth to a flame even though he still thought himself awkward in front of anyone that wasn't family. Okay, he said. Fish was the main component of his diet and so it was inevitable that he had a taste for it 'else he might have gone insane by now. Rabbits and mice were rarer and so he preferred them more for their variety, but maybe these river fish would be more interesting than their sea-faring counterparts.



Teach me how to make a fire, the coyote pup added as an afterthought. It would not be long before he learned how to shift and learning how to cultivate a flame was one of the things that topped his list of things to do and learn afterwards. Even thousands of years after man had first struck a fire in the woods and created light, creatures were still fascinate with the concept. What was it, after all? Not a solid, a liquid, or a gas. It was energy. Pure, burning energy, like the stars in the sky. And it amazed him.
[/html]
#9
[html]



The easy-to-please female nodded when he answered, motioning for him to follow her over toward the river. The fish were still jumping just as high as ever, and every few moments one of them would jump a little too close to the shore. Those were the ones they'd want to go for. If they could get into water that wasn't too deep, but deep enough for the fish to feel comfortable in...they could corral one and get it up to the sand. She had a net, too--maybe that would help.

She put her pack down near the shore so that it wouldn't get wet, pulling the net out. "I got this from the city. Maybe, if you're able to shift later on--I'll find another one and bring it to you. It makes fishing a lot easier, these human tools" She looked to the fish, then back to the younger creature. "Sometimes they jump a little too close to us, to the shore. If we wade in a bit, we should be able to either catch one in the air, or get it while it's still shocked from falling back into the water"One carp wouldn't be enough for the two of them, and it would be nice to get a salmon or two. She watched the fish jump up and waded in a little, just to the point where the coyote would be able to go without being pulled by the current.

[/html]
#10
[html]


He knew it was just about time for him to learn how to shift. This meant a lot of things, but not all of them he was really looking forward to. Oh, once he was capable of becoming bipedal, the city would become much more accessible to him and a thousand things would become easier -- closed doors for instance. But gaining the ability was also a mark on his gradual progression of age. He was getting older and there was no turning back. Strangely though, the coyote couldn't really pinpoint anything specific from the months he'd already lived that he would miss greatly when he was grown. After all, what had really changed? His mother and sister were gone, but the former had never provided much guidance and the other really wasn't that far away, right?



Arkham watched the fish curiously, but at that moment, there were a dozen other things he wanted to do too. Learn how to build a fire! Learn how to shift! Perhaps it was just his aversion to water, but it was clear that the femme was there to fish and he supposed it would be rude to demand that she abandon that in favor of tutoring him. So he waded slowly into the water, keeping the reluctance in the back of his head. When the tips of his toes were just barely touching the river bottom, he stopped, flailing his forepaws about to keep himself steady. Red eyes watched the fish jump about for only a moment before lashing out. His own movement was slower than he might have hoped -- the water pushed him back and naturally, he missesd. Being so far in the water made him anxious, even if he was apparently safe from the rushing currents. He backpaddled and stared for a bit before turning to Naniko again. I'll watch you, he said decidedly.
[/html]
#11
[html]



"Okay" She agreed. It would probably be safer; the last thing she wanted was for somebody to get hurt. In a few minutes she'd managed to catch quite a few salmon, tossing each one toward the shore. Once she really got into it she went into a rhythm--look, catch, toss. Look, catch, toss. Soon enough she had gotten enough for both her and the young one to take home with him. "This should be enough"

Naniko was wet now, and she shook out her fur so that it wouldn't freeze that way, all wet. "I always carry the fire stones with me in my pack, but in separate containers so that they don't accidentally click together and catch my bag on fire" He probably hadn't understood that...but she would explain it all. She walked back up the shore with some of the fish, back toward the bag. She spoke as she walked.

"There are certain rocks that you can use to make the fire, and I have quite a few. They last a very long time, only breaking if you deliberately try to crush them; I've tested that. As long as you promise to be /really/ careful, it should be okay for you to take some back with you" She set the fish down, reaching down and producing a few of the stones, showing and then offering them to Arkham."One of each kind is what you need"

[/html]
#12
[html]


He was more than happy to get out of the water. It was far too cold to be in water and -- it struck him that maybe the fish were so cold that they wanted to get out also, which was why they were jumping so high and so stupidly. He realized almost simutaneously that this was a pretty silly idea and dismissed the thought entirely. The boy shook hard, but as always, was unable to remove as much water as he'd like. The idea of a fire then, was very, very appealing, but he was surprised at the wolfess's explanation of how to make it. Fire comes from rocks? he wondered bluntly, I thought it came from wood? The conclusion had been based solely off the fact that there was wood in the fireplace at home and wood was what burned. Were there different methods of making a fire?



Where do you get the rocks? He blinked at the objects curiously and wondered if she was going to start a fire right then and there. I dun have a bag to put them in, he added, But maybe I can find some by myself.
[/html]
#13
[html]



"You smack the rocks together really hard to make a spark, which lights the wood on fire. I'm not really sure how it works...but that's what the book said. And when I put the stones together it worked" Naniko had been given most of these stones, and had inherited a few of them from Physe. He had told her that he didn't care if she took them with her--and then he had died. So she'd made sure that the stones would go to good use. If she could remember right, Physe had been the Firestarter in his old pack.

"I'm not sure where else you could find some...probably in the mountains, though? I was given these ones by Physe a while back. If it was safe for me to go to Inferni I'd come by sometime and give them to you...maybe I can leave them outside the border or something." She took the rocks, clicking them together. Sparks came off, landing on the pile of tinder, a few pieces of grass catching and burning up immediately. It took a few tries, but soon the fire was lit. She fed it a few more pieces of wood, sitting back. "What's life like in Inferni? Every time I've been there to see, somebody's chased me off"

[/html]
#14
[html]


Arkham would have remained a skeptic without a demonstration, but took a step back in surprise when one was so easily given. He stared at the open flame for a moment before regaining the step -- the air behind him was suddenly much colder than it had seemed before and the air in front of him, so much warmer. How're these rocks any different from other rocks? How can you tell?" The boy shook himself again and sat down, more than happy to absorb the heated air. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of the wolfess coming by the clan, even just to drop off some rocks. Despite the fact that he didn't really share his brothers' dislike of wolves, he had grown to accept the protectiveness of their borders. It was just how things were.



Not very exciting, he answered decidedly. Everyone does their own thing, I guess. My sister went to your pack, Clouded Tears, and my brother is a crazy nuthead. He frowned a moment, but shrugged. No wolves are allowed, he continued, cocking his head slightly at the femme, There's not much to come and see anyway though.
[/html]
#15
[html]





It seemed as if some of the magic was disappearing, unraveling. She didn’t have all the answers that he was looking for; my, he asked a lot of questions! He didn’t seem satisfied with the answers that she had, but she had nothing else to offer him. ”I don’t know. I was only given them and instructed on how to use them” She listened to the part about Inferni. ”You didn’t want to come and stay in Clouded Tears, though? I have a sibling in another pack, myself…Selene. In Storm.”
[/html]
#16
[html]


Arkham's love of Inferni had, perhaps, been bred into him to some degree. But regardless, he had been born by the sea and absolutely hated the thought of ever having to wake up without hearing the waves nearby. He didn't like the air without the salty breeze and preferred the sand to snow, though he would admit that dirt was softer and more comfortable to walk on than either. He loved the sunsets over the oceans and the sunrises over the mountains. He loved the sound of seagulls, especially when they were being chased away from a carcass, washed up on shore. And he loved the sight of the house on the horizon, even if it had been stolen from someone else. And he cared about his family, even if it was already scattered and broken and had been since long before he was born.



It had never occured to him to ever leave, but his sister made staying hard sometimes. I don't belong in Clouded Tears, he told the woman evenly. I don't think my dad really wants to deal with us anyway. The pup paused to wander over to one of the fishes. Do your parents live there?
[/html]
#17
[html]




The fire was nice, wrapping around her like a warm coat. She had been considering getting some clothes, like the ones that the humans wore...but wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. The werewolves already looked a lot like humans...why add on to that? But she also got pretty cold, especially after fishing, and it would be nice to be able to go back to the den and slip into something warmed next to a fire. Maybe she would invest in some blankets, instead of some clothes. Blankets seemed more natural, somehow.

She reached back behind her, picking up one of the fish. Since they had a fire, she'd eat it cooked. She put the front part of it into the fire, leaving the back half out. In a few minutes, once it was nice and crackly, she would turn it around with a stick so that the back end would cook, too. "I don't really have any parents. For all I know they're dead. I'm not sure where my father is, and I know for sure that my mother's gone crazy. I have another brother somewhere, Helios, and a sister, Pontiac...but I've never met Helios and Pontiac left when we were both children. I was abandoned by my parents when I was very young...Laruku only took me in because Iskata wouldn't put me back where she found me, up in the mountains. Were you born in Inferni, or someplace else?"

[/html]


Forum Jump: