Unknown enemy {Roleplay thread}

[tenebria]

Nymeria's eyes bored into the quivering surprised wolf before her. "If they found they had caught one, they would not have stopped there, so i had to get you out before they returned" she growled, her expression unempathetic as he seemed to wince slightly. At his attempt to apparently be strong and sound courageous, she lifted her lip in scorn. "Go back to the pack. This world was not made for the likes of you to become loners" she snarled in a suddenly bitter tone. "You can't do anything as a loner if you get trapped and killed" she added with a foreboding glance back at the trap. Her tail was still stiff behind her as she turned her gaze back to the young wolf. What did he know of being a loner? Did he think it just meant he could do whatever he wanted? Because if anyone chose such a path, it was only for a very very good reason, and because they knew they could make it as a loner. This pup? He wouldn't survive a day on his own.

[wingfeather]

Bard found he couldn’t meet the older wolf’s pale impassive gaze for very long and turned his eyes away quickly, suddenly finding the dirt at his paws a very interesting sight. He scuffed his paw on the damp ground, knew she was right and shuddered at the thought of what might have happened had she not found him and helped him get out before it was too late. His shuddering tail drooped and his dark ears lowered at this sudden discouragement, “I… I just can’t go back, especially not after this,” he said quietly, his voice suddenly switching to a high pupish whine. “Back there I act no better than an omega, and only because Alpha Drail doesn’t allow such things am I not degraded to one without so much as a second thought. I need to prove, prove to everyone, including myself, that I can survive on my own and that I’m not some weak cringing dog,” he couldn’t look at Nymaria when he stated this. He could feel her pale eyes staring at him. It was utterly impossible for Bard to guess what she thought of it all

[tenebria]

Nymeria growled again low in her throat as he spoke of how his life was meaningless. He knew nothing of a meaningless existence. "I am not here to tell you what or what not to do with your life" she said in sudden careless frustration. "I simply offer my knowledge from years as a loner. Do not take that road. You would not survive. A pack, even if you are at the bottom, is a pack to you. They would still protect you. Out there, there would be no one to remove a trap from your leg" she growled, her eyes piercing, although he had long since moved his gaze downwards. His words... they did strike a spot though. He wished to prove himself. For a long moment she remained silent, then spoke, her voice barely hearable, and yet still cold. "If you wish to prove this to yourself, then go. You can only prove yourself more than you are now by taking a new step. Loner might not be for you... but for a time you could take your own path" she said, then she bristled slightly again. "But do not expect me to decide for you. As of right now, I do not know how you plan on treating that leg or hunting with it, but good luck" she said, her eyes narrowed as she turned towards the forest.

[wingfeather]

Bard clenched and unclenched his teeth in nervous frustration, his inspiration and will to go was leaving him. She told him sternly not to go, but a part of him said he should. But the pack… the community and safety of a pack… She wasn’t part of a pack and she was doing alright. The sudden change of tone caused him to start, now what was she saying? He was getting confused and his cringing fear started clouding his mind again. Leg? Wound? The pain hit him just then, at least it came back to consciousness. It shook him up a bit and caused his self preservation instincts to kick in. He had to fix that somehow. He looked back at the retreating figure, already the shadows enshrouding her make him have to strain to see her. He turned and limped heavily in the other direction. He started sniffing for any healing leaves he knew of… plantain, St. John’s wort? Nothing else came to mind. Oh yes and cob web. He wined at the incessant pain but eventually came to a small bunch of plantain leaves. He supposed the best way to apply them would be to chew them? He bit a few and started chewing, making a face at the grassy taste, ugh vegetables.

[Canadian Sunfeather]

Viron would wince as the object was fished out of his shoulder by the healer, he then felt the healer flush the wound again before they even dared to attempt to patch his wound to prevent infection from festering, it must have at least twenty minutes before his shoulder was bandaged up after a mix of healing herbs had been used on the wound, "No scouting for the rest of the day Viron you are to stay here until I clear you for duty" the healer said as they dismissed him, he then walked over to where the prey was he was feeling hungry at the moment, he carefully approuched the fresh kill pile and took a small rabbit from it and ate it in small bites his powerful teeth ripping into the rabbit easily as he ate it, he then noticed two of the hunters were also coming over to get food, he noticed one of them was Arijta and the other one must be Phantom as hardly any other wolves in the pack had such a dark coat.

[Canadian Sunfeather]

Arijta would look at the prey pile "everything looks good but I am in the mood for hopper what about you" she said as she looked at the prey pile, her eyes were looking at a big juicy one near the top of the pile, she would wait for her freind to make her selection before she even dared to take something from the fresh kill pile, she barely noticed Viron eating a hopper as she was to focused on getting food for herself at this moment to chat to him about what the healer had said about his wound or if he would even be able to scout again.

[Canadian Sunfeather]

Valor looked at Nexus "She is not from our herd little Nexus but based upon her look I would say she has never been in a herd much I really am not sure who she is" Valor said as she watched the red dun mare looking around with nervousness, her beautiful red dun coat reminded Valor of someone a mare she had met on her journey, but the name escaped her having seen so many small herds before she joined this herd, then she looked closer at the mare taking notice of her markings, but still could not remember her name it was something related to fire if she remembered correctly, but the name still escaped her and probaly would until the mare came closer to her and Nexus if she even dared that is.

[Canadian Sunfeather]

Orca would watch the non wild horse with curiosity her ears flicking every once and a while, "The wild ones I have seen have been far and few between mostly herds about your size here, I am not wild little one if I was would I smell like you and your freind here" the horse said as they finally seemed to notice Orca even was there, "You mean that the big herds that lived around here have reduced in size because of the uprights" Orca said with a curiosity that made her question if there herd was going to be safe from the uprights, "that is correct Orca I am so sorry for saying it but it is true, I escaped from my uprights to see the land of my youth I was once wild like you two and belonged to a herd just north of here, but years of belonging to uprights had ruined my love of it as they forced me away from anything that would make me think of the wilds, until now I thought the herds were huge but now I see how wrong I was" the horse said as they brushed away a fly from there body as they continued to speak to Orca and Britz.

[Canadian Sunfeather]

Fiero would face the lead stallion she tried not to act scared as they approuched her, "I'm Fiero just a lone mare for now but I would like to join your herd even if it is for a short time" Fiero said her voice sounded a bit shaky due to her fear of stallions, but she ignored it as if she wasn't scared at all, she noticed a mare with a foal looking at her she knew who the mare was but did the mare even remember her she wondered, as she waited for the lead stallion to speak to her about her request she noticed that he was pawing at the ground, as if he already thought she was not welcome here and would be chased off without warning.

[wingfeather]

Britz cocked his head, he hadn’t heard much about uprights or who they were. All he knew was that they were apparently something bad and were to be avoided, but why, he wanted to know. He looked at the newcomer horse, “but WHY are they bad, no one here has ever been around them, your the first horse who has been around them that I have met, why must we avoid them?” He pawed the ground a little and looked at Orca wondering what she thought of his question

[tenebria]

Nymeria slid into the brush, but she couldn't help herself from slowing and tilting her ears back, listening as the young wolf seemed to collect himself, and head off into the brush, the opposite direction. She let out a quiet breath of relief. Social interactions, even that long, did not agree with her. He was young, and she knew that despite the deepness of his wound, he would be able to heal. And she hoped he was not as much of a lackwit as he had seemed a few moments ago. Surely he had been confused and muddled by the pain too much to realize that such a young soft wolf as himself could never make it in the harsh reality that is a loners life. And still, for a moment, she couldn't help but wonder. Did he know what to use? Would he be too stubborn and refuse to return to his pack? A clouded look began seeping into her gaze, until a crow suddenly broke through the tree cover, creating a rustle that startled her from her thoughts. With a swift movement she turned away, slipping into the undergrowth and disappearing from site. She was headed to the border. Much as she hated it, if he wasn't returning, then she had to. The Alpha deserved to know, after all, he had allowed her to ally herself with them despite not requesting her fully story, and the least she could do in return was make him aware of the danger approaching.

[wingfeather]

Bard tested his leg tentatively. He had applied the herbs as best he could and had plastered on what scant bits of cobweb were on hand. The bleeding had slowed somewhat, mainly because the blood had dried over which left clumps around his leg and matted his fur terribly, flies were already buzzing around the spot. All in all, it was just about the worst of a patch job a wolf could make, but it would have to do for the moment. He wined pitiably when he placed pressure upon the sore leg and carefully lifted it off the ground. He gazed through the forest in the general direction of the pack and sighed before slowly limping towards his home. He abruptly stopped after a few paces. What was he doing?! He couldn't go back! What was he to say - 'uh sorry alpha but uh I didn't see the trap and I uh accidentally stepped into it and would have died there had not another wolf come along and help he out.' He shook his head savagely at the thought. What kind of a scout was he? No, that just would not do. He directly turned in the opposite direction and began his slow march. Where he was going, he wasn't altogether sure, but he was going to live the loners life from now on, or until he did something to prove to himself and his pack that he was worthy enough to live among them.

[tenebria]

Nymeria moved silently through the forest, the sunlight glinting off her mottled coat. Not a bird stirred as she slipped past, her eyes focused on the path in front of her. Now and then the scent of Upright grew stronger in her nostrils and she would move deeper into the forest, searching for the source. Once found, usually a metal jawed trap, she would slide past it. At the second trap she found, she paused, a thought catching hold. These traps were dangerous... could she not stop them from harming others? She stopped and turned, going back to the trap and stepping around it carefully, eyes narrowed. How had it caught that young wolf? It had closed obviously, but how was it set off? With him stepping on it? Perhaps that was it! Heading back to the undergrowth she fastened her jaws around a large tree branch, swiftly pulling it back out, muscles rippling as she swung it around towards the trap. The first try failed as it missed the trap completely, but the second time she got it down straight on top of it, then let it drop. It fell with a clatter on the metal, and the trap sprang shut, the metal almost whistling in the air as it clanged shut, sending shivers down Nymeria's spine. The horror of it, imagining another creature that might have been caught. New determination flooded her as she began hunting down the traps, still heading towards the border guards, but that no longer being her main goal. She would trip as many of these traps as she could, for each was possible the life of another wolf.

[wingfeather]

Bard traveled onwards stoically. He was thinking to himself at how good he was at this. Here, in the middle of a forest, the threat of uprights at every turn, and he was wounded... Bard smiled to himself, what was that female talking about, he could most definitely survive as a loner. Just then a hawk swooped down from out of seemingly nowhere and just nearly raked the grey wolf with its lethal talons before quickly veering upwards and settling himself comfortably in a low bough. Bard threw himself to the ground and laid with eyes squeezed shut. His ears turned abruptly at the sound of a screechy laugh, bard opened his eyes and looked up to see the hawk still sitting there watching him with his beady eyes. The young wolf yelled at himself mentally but tried to gain back his dignity by sitting rigidly and appearing nonchalant by peering into the brush surrounding him. ''Quite the kick and dive you took there,'' the hawk laughed. Bard ignored him. ''Hey you're from the pack down south of here, aren't you,'' the big bird pressed. Bard gave a curt nod but still would not make eye contact. ''Well, if I was you I would not travel too much further in the direction you is going.'' Bard's curiosity was arroused at this, ''why's that,'' he questioned. ''Because,'' the hawk fluffed its scraggily feathers, '' 'bout a day's easy march further and you'll hit your territory border... and enter another's.'' Bard thought a moment, an idea formulating. ''Anyways, I know you DO NOT,'' want to go there,'' hawk said carelessly yet watching the wolf closely. Bard shook himself from his revery, ''aye, yes, of course, well, thank you for the information. Now I believe I need to get some rest.'' The bird watched him fro a few moments before flapping off, northwards. Bard curled down, his leg was beginning to ache again, and if he was planning on traveling to the other wolf's territory within two days, he'd need all the rest he could get.