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 Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 8:42 pm
 This "underground" business was hard to get used to for someone like her. She was used to expansive fields, lots of grass and plants, the occasional tree, companionship with many others around her, and that blanket of security. Since then she had forgone that blanket and switched it for a "napkin" - a large napkin at that, but anything involving Brother was large. So to trade in constant wandering for a stable home wasn't a terrible transition for Mama.
Nope, it was more the location of said home that got her nerves grating.
She was standing before the western entrance with a cross look at the opening, like it was some stone-still maw ready to clench down upon her the moment she entered its gullet. And its insides! By golly, it would take her a full week to begin to discern the various passageways. "Not any good, no sirree, not any good," she mused darkly. "No sun, no grass, just stone! Buried alive in there, that'll be what happens . . ."
Brother could take it just fine. Brother was a bear, though. His "den" was just by hers for the time being, somewhere near the back of the underground labyrinth. He wasn't often in there, though, now beginning to scout the area about to learn its topography as well as learn how best to fill his stomach before hibernation kicked in. This left Mama alone which was all fine and dandy, only . . . the hell was she gonna do now? Her fur itched at the very idea of going inside to visit the other wolves, which was sorely needed. She was a sociable creature. She could only handle loneliness for so long.
So there sat the fat femme before the cave entrance, scowling at it like it was a pup that had put her in a difficult position.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:21 pm
 He was still fairly new, as he and Eileen had come to the pack only a short while ago. He was resettling into pack life fairly easily, gladly even. The only real issue he was having difficulty in getting used to was living underground. It was strange and just felt odd to the wolf, who had never done just that in all his seasons of traveling. Sure, dens were one thing, but tunnels? It was almost as if they were rabbits, not wolves! Of course, rabbits were crafty things, despite being prey, but that thought still didn't really comfort him.
Rabbits were just what he was thinking of as he navigated the many tunnels that Hollow Earth called home. It was his home now, too, and he rather liked the sound of that. He still hadn't met all the members on a personal level and he knew there were more joining roughly about the same time, but he would get to that point, feeling it as his job now that he was working beneath Samhain. He would have to make a point of getting to know Lilith and Lullaby, as well, if this was going to work. He had to make it work, for the fear of displeasing the wolf that had kindly taken he and his friend in just did not sit right with him at all.
He felt like a long eared, lanky legged rabbit.
And it was just about time for him to head out for some fresh air. He often made a point of spending more time out there than he did inside, partially because he liked to keep an eye on things and partially because he still was not comfortable with staying in there. As he navigated down the tunnel that he was certain was an exit, though he was willing to admit he didn't have his bearings completely yet, he became slightly disoriented. Why wasn't the light shining through like it was supposed to? That was when he caught a whiff of a scent he had only briefly smelled about camp. Must be one of the newer wolves that he hadn't met yet. He blinked owlishly, his good eye scanning over the brown and white wolf that sat before the entrance he wanted to exit. She didn't look too pleased, really.
"Y'know, my mom always used to say that if I made that face, it'd stick." He grinned as he spoke, apparently amused by himself.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 12:17 am
Mama snorted with a small smile. "Got it wrong, son. That'd be crossin' yer eyes," she corrected. Which, as a pup, she had done more than enough times to figure out was not true! But then, that one was the first of the many lies she found Momma had given her, like how swimming after eating too soon would make you cramp up, and how you could catch a cold by being cold. And those were just the minor, "oh, mooooom" things. Mama's momma liked to lie a little more than most . . .
She got to her paws and backed up to offer him some room, as obviously he wanted out; though her backing up was more like wobbling. "What, they pay'tin down there I didn't get invited?" she jested, noting the odd almost scar-like markings upon the male's body and trailing up from there to his items. "Arts and crafts? Shoo, I'd like some of them nice things tih brighenn up my den. Y'know, something besides dirt and my tail to look at." The heck did those purple feathers come from though? She'd never seen such plumage.
Actually, come to think of it . . . Feathers, round teeth in the ears, necklace; she frowned quizzically. Did this pack interact with humans? Ho boy . . . Just what she needed. Brother wouldn't be happy if this was the case.
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 12:42 am
"Same difference, if ya get me~" The cheery male waited politely for her to step aside, only moving forward once the way was clear and he could easily slip past. The first thing he noted, other than her rather large size, was her interesting accent. It was quaint and he rather liked it, though it was different from what he was used to.
He stretched each limb as he made his exit, rather enjoying the feeling of the sun on his back as he did so. It was still rather pleasant out. Not too hot, not too cold, just the way he liked it. His brightly ringed tail wagged as he shifted his form to face the strange wolf, who he quite liked already, for her seemingly easy going demeanor. It took a moment for her words to sink in, but he was quickly catching her meaning and could only smile.
"If only they were, it'd liven this place up a little bit, wouldn't you say? If we keep an eye out, we might could find you some pretty feathers to decorate with, or some interesting tidbits. I don't know of any man settlements near this place, though, so I imagine a scavenging trip would be well out of the way. I can ask Samhain about such things, as he would most likely know of any two-legged neighbors."
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 9:16 am
"Nah, um . . . . don't bother the lad. Them two-legs're a dime a dozen anyway. They look sorta like cows if you've ever seen 'em, all millin' about, mooin' and walkin' and ea'in like they got nothin' better to do." She chuckled at some inner irony. 'Course, this was a better painted picture of humans than most would give: this was ignoring the new creatures they brought, their ghostly no-fur, the no-wolves they brought, the loud metal sticks that killed invisibly . . . Wait, why the hell was she still lingering over those silly creatures?
Oh yeah. She kiiiiinda never really wanted to see them again. Without Brother at her side, she felt oddly vulnerable.
She shook her head a little of the thoughts like they were flies buzzing annoyingly in her ears. "We don't need any of them trinkets to brighten the place up. Hell, it's already looking purdy outside," Mama said with a smile as she tilted her nose up to the trees some distance from them. "I'd say we need some of them leaves, some honey, aaaaand a fat deer. Place needs some sprucin' if you ask me!" This was around the time her old pack had begun preparations for autumn celebration, and by golly she wasn't going to abandon those traditions so quickly!
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 10:51 am
"Aren't they?" He shook his head in response to her description, though he had not seen them in some while. The humans he had seen had been rather quick and skilled with their sharp sticks and arrows. He wasn't too fond of them, but did he ever like the little knickknacks that they produced.
"Ah, yeah, is beautiful, outside~ But inside, it's so dull and dark! Dirt, dirt, dirt~ Could use some moss or feathers to spruce it up a bit, don't you think? Ooh, or leaves like you say. Honey and deer, too? It's music to my ears, if you ask me." Grinning, he glanced from her to the trees above, with their changing, dying leaves. It was beautiful and this was always his favorite season, though his pack never particularly celebrated.
"You wanna go hunt down some of this stuff, eh?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 11:23 am
There we go! Something better than scowling at the underground. "If that don't put pepper in the gumbo, nothin' will!" Mama exclaimed, wobbling right over without a second glance behind her at the cave. If she could replicate a fall festival here, maybe moving in wouldn't be so bad. Certainly it'd put her in good spirits, give her something to do, and hopefully it would put a smile on the pack members' faces. A sense of community, a full stomach, hell maybe a few stories . . . She wished she remembered what the one odd wolf had done a few autumns back; somehow he had made fire, giving the meat such an exotic new flavor to it that she had almost been convinced off her omnivorous diet. Almost.
"Now I ain't the fastest woofer in these parts, but my nose knows where to look if ye catch my drift. You got any maples 'round here?" Mama asked him, getting right to it. "We're gonna find plenty a'leaves for decoration, and feathers n' all those bits and bobs we'll worry over later. Sap'll be our big priority right now since I gotta make sure we have enough to keep it t'gether."
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 2:15 pm
He didn't know what gumbo was.
But, judging from the inflection in her voice, he assumed the saying must have been a good one. He found himself growing excited about the plans as she continued to speak, though he really wasn't sure what it was she was aiming for in the long run. It sounded like something entertaining, that was for certain. He could use a pleasant distraction, which this seemed to be.
"You know, I think I remember seeing a couple near the northern fringes of the territory. What's it you plan on making, if I might ask?" And it was about that moment that he had realized that he had forgotten his manners. This had to be rectified and he quickly back tracked.
"My name is Jukka, by the way. I'm sort of new-ish here. A friend of mine and I arrived not but a little over a moon ago."
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Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2010 3:41 pm
"Jukka." The word threw itself at the back of her throat like a ball of water, something she had to swallow. An odd name, but she'd heard odder. It wasn't bad-tasting or anything at least; yes indeed, Mama often went on the notion that she could "taste" whether or not someone was bad purely by their name alone. "Well, Jukka, I've gotten called Mama Nom for so long it's been my new name for a while. Mama's jeeeest fine, though. Or Big Mama, that one's what I like best~" Apparently it wouldn't be awkward whatsoever to her to be called such by even an adult. "Mama" had the same ring to it "Mary" would, or "Jessica", or any other name. Of course, she'd cut ties with what happened in the past, and as such didn't enjoy hearing her actual name too much. Better to let go and move on, no?
"An lemme tell ya somethin', Jukka, I'm newer than you are," Mama went on with a chuckle, beginning to walk in his indicated direction for the maples. "Been here for, what . . . few days? Somethin' like that. Anyways, maple's got sap we can use to hold things up on the walls, plus they've got some damn fine leaves if I say so myself. 'Course, it'll be a mess if we're not careful, and bugs like ta suck the sweet stuff up, so we're gonna get bitten. Shore you're up for somethin' so dangerous?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 7:06 pm
"Big Mama, it is." He found it unusual, but he wasn't going to protest. If anything, it seemed almost endearing, yet also caused him to be more curious about her true name. He wasn't about to ask her, however, as he assumed she had a reason to avoid using her actual name, regardless if that reason was important or trivial, and he felt he had little right to inquire.
"Am I ever? Bit of danger always spices things up, if you ask me. Sure you're ready for it? A few bug stings haven't frightened me off from having a good time, yet! Ain't gonna let that happen now." Already, he was imagining just how good the pack's den site would look with leaves and feathers decorating the walls, stuck with maple sap. It would smell pretty darn good, too! Ever eager, he motioned towards the northern direction with a quick bob of his head.
"Right then~ Shall we?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:26 pm
"Way ahead a'ya, shuga." There she went just moseying onward in his indicated direction, tail slightly swinging with each step. "C'mon now!" she barked congenially over her shoulder. "Burnin' daylight here. Comfardin' season's growin' darker every week . . ." At the least right now it was still very much autumn with no trace of winter yet, and she could smell it just as much as she could see it.
It wasn't too long before they hit the maple trees like Jukka said. Red maples to be exact, beautiful specimens whose jagged-edged leaves alone made it stick out in their brilliance. Mama smiled as they approached, nostrils flaring as she took in the scent of sweetness just within its trunk. "Good stuff's right here awright," she said, stopping near the base of the tree to examine it. Sure enough, she could see a line of ants already making construction within a natural crack in the bark, and she quickly checked her paws to make sure she wasn't in their way. "We'll go opposite them to avoid many bites.
"Now! Jukka, you ever harvested sap afore?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 9:17 pm
"Looking forward to summer already, myself." He plodded along after the large wolf, in rather high spirits. True, he wasn't fond of winter. Then again, he hardly knew anyone who was. At least fall, though chilly, was lovely in and of itself. The changing leaves were beautiful. He took the opportunity to admire the shifts in the atmosphere as they headed north, though fall had only recently begun to roll in. Still, it was quite pleasant.
As the red leafed maples came into view, he smiled. His single, green eye moved over them, practically drinking up wat beauty they offered. The sweet scent caused him to move closer, examining the roughly barked trunk alongside Mama Nom. He wasn't too thrilled about the ants, but they could be avoided somewhat, for the time being.
"Now that you mention it, I've never had need to do so. I'm sure I'm capable, if given some instruction."
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Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:29 pm
"Good. See them nach'ral cracks in the trunk here an' here?" Mama asked him, pointing towards various indents. "They're easiest to go with since they're closer to the inside; means we don't have ta dig as much." It was her least favorite part, but ah - such was every job that had to be done. Making sure Jukka was watching closely, Mama sidled right up to the trunk, squared in on one of the deeper gashes, and began to pick at it in a rapid pawing manner, claws digging and scraping against the bark.
She continued to speak even as she dug. "Y'see, you . . . have to make sure you're . . . make sure you're hitting the same spot over an' over." Mama stopped after a while to clean her paws of the mess, eye twitching as she pulled out a splinter and licked at the wound. "Gotta be careful a'splinners too. You try where I started, see if ya get us t'the good stuff." There was a soft sound far above them that she couldn't quite place, and she kept trying to tune into it as she attended to the cut in her pawpad with a wince.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:43 pm
"Sure do~"
He watched curiously as she tore at the cracks within the bark with her claws. His single, green eye watched closely and when she backed off to pluck out the splinter in her paw, he moved closer and sniffed at the gash, studying it. The sweet stuff wasn't too far underneath, that much he could sense. Mama Nom had done a good bit of the work and he was determined to finish.
"You alright?"
He inquired as he pushed himself to the gash and began to furiously claw in the same portion she had, his movements were steady and rhythmically. He didn't notice the sounds above them over his own breathing and steady work.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 8:01 pm
She licked her pawpad a few more times before gently setting it down. "Won't die from it, son, s'all that matters. Keep diggin' at it, I'l be a sec." Mama sidled over to the side and began to nose some of the larger fallen leaves over to Jukka, some as brown as mud already; they made loud crackling sounds under her force, but for the most part stayed intact. "These'll be to collect the honey," she spoke to the largest of them in the pile. "Them purdy leaves we'll grab once the honey's safe at the pack."
The femme paused, annoyed by that buzzing and looking every which where until at last she pinpointed the source: nothing less than a bee nest up above them in that very tree! Ah boy, insects galore . . . Though Mama wondered if perhaps there was a treasure within. The nest itself wasn't large, and the buzzing wasn't particularly loud - so not many bees were still within a seemingly abandoned hive. That bonus would be tackled last.
"Alrigh' alrigh', I think that's good," she said to Jukka once he had carved a great gash within. "Let it ooze out some, then pick it up on the big leaves an' bring it back to, say . . . Where we met. We'll make a lil' pile over there so we can just dip the good leaves when we please. Gotta be quick though; the sap only stays nice for so long outside the trunk. Gotta do it like this too to make sure you don't lose any sweet stuff." Gently picking up a leaf by its stem, Mama smeared it from the bottom up into the hole to catch as much as she could in one go - then, using her tongue to keep it straight, she began to trot back to the cave entrance.
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