[WP01] Wolf Dream

[hybridic]

Quote:

The jellyfish are migrating: a beautiful, luminscent, floating cloud of jellyfish high in the sky above you distracts you momentarily from your task.

In all honesty, it doesn't take much to distract Wolf Dream, especially not when animals are involved. He has only ever caught a glimpse of the floating jellyfish before, and even then it was only one, tentacles disappearing like vine tendrils into the leaves of a far off tree. The sight of this many is like nothing he could have imagined, and he is stopped completely in his tracks, awestruck. Perhaps if he lay down to sleep for just a moment or two he could catch a dream of one of these magical creatures, inhabit one of their strange ephemeral bodies for a brief while -- but no. He has a task to do, and he must move on.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You think you've found a red bird feather--but on leaning nearer you discover that it is a white bird feather, doused in blood.

In his sleep, Wolf Dream has found himself on both sides of the altercation that likely caused this blood-soaked feather. He stares down at it for a moment, remembering the half-real taste of blood in his mouth, the pain as a wing gets caught between sharp fangs. Leaving the feather behind, he moves on.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You hear Never Idle chiding you in a strangely metallic voice: "Work faster! Work faster!" But then you realize it's only a mocking-raven, who must have grown up near the stag's place of business.

Wolf Dream's ears flick around at the sudden cry, trying to pinpoint the sound's location. When he spots the raven, he can't help but smile. They are clever creatures whose dreams he enjoys sharing, and he can't help but find the nagging reminder amusing.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You secure a mouthful of long grass stems ideal for weaving. Success!

He stumbled on the clearing of tall grass by accident, following what the singing of what he thought might have been a red-feathered bird. In fact, he nearly missed it, eyes trained upwards as they were, until he felt the brush of the stems against his knees and paused to look down. Giving up the chance of feathers for a more sure supply of grass, Wolf Dream gathered as much as he could carry, tearing the long blades out as close to the root as possible before heading back to deliver them to Never Idle.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You thought you found the perfect branch--but it snaps cleanly in two when you try to move it. Argh!

Wolf Dream manages to get the branch nearly halfway to its destination before he hears the loud crack and feels it buckle over his back, the two halves slipping down either side of his spine. He stops his plodding pace, scrunching his eyes shut in frustration before turning to see the damage. Ah well. He shakes the bark and bits of rotten wood off his flanks.Time to try again.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You locate an especially attractive white plume, of unknown source.

The feather is long and rises above the reeds as he passes, catching his eye. It's not on Never Idle's list -- but it is too distinctive to simply leave there, to be buried in mud. Wolf Dream steps carefully through the muck to retrieve it, tucking it into the winding locks of hair on the tip of his tail, before moving on again.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You find a patch of mud with a strange blue tint. It has stained the grass near its borders. Not what you were asked to find, but almost undoubtedly useful. Maybe you should let him know where it is...

At first he thinks it is part of a dream or a trick of the light. Curious, he plucks the long white feather he found previously from his tail and drags it through the strangely colored mud. Once the excess mud has been shaken free, the feather is clearly stained a shade of murky blue. Wondering what could cause such a phenomenon, Wolf Dream tucks the feather back into his tail and makes a mental note of the location of the mudpatch to tell Never Idle about later.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You locate a perfectly round, enormous boulder. It is exactly what Never Idle needs--but you're going to need help to uproot and move it. Help required. Success!

The boulder is partially buried in the mud of the swamp, and extends perhaps a foot under the ground, if (as Wolf Dream hopes) it holds to its spherical shape in the parts that he cannot see. He spends a few minutes pushing at it, digging into the earth beneath it to try and expose enough of the stone to get it rolling, but to no avail. Barring an earthquake or some act of the Motherfather, Wolf Dream doubts he can pry the boulder from the swamp's hold.  

[Amorpheous]

A voice rung out, sharp and mocking, "I don't know how strong you think you are, but you're never going to move that boulder out of the mud like that."

The sea-dappled-sun doe loped out from beneath the trees, revealing her watching spot. She looked at the other buck critically with her bright eyes. Despite her harsh tone and piercing eyes, there was a smile on her face, though it wasn't clear if she was smiling because she was being kind or if it was because she was secretly laughing at him. She came closer though, eying the boulder and surveying the challenge that stood before her.

"Wait here," she commanded, perhaps a touch entitled, but in good humor. She tossed a quick smirk over her shoulder before taking off, steps easily carrying her over mud and roots, a wolf's grace.

It wasn't too long before she returned with a large branch grasped between her teeth. She positioned it with one end underneath the boulder without a word. She kicked it in deeper until she was sure it would stay. Then she said, "When I step down on this branch, push the boulder."

hybridic whoops

Wolf and wolf dreamer meet, yessss.
sorry if you get a second notification! I just wanted to get the link to this post!

 

[hybridic]

Amorpheous

Yessss we've been looking for a reason for them to meet, how perfect! 8D

Wolf Dream frowned at the sudden intrusion of the bright-eyed doe and watched silently as she left as abruptly as she had arrived, returning shortly with a large branch. There was something about the way she moved that struck him, something almost familiar about the patterns in her fur.

When he finally spoke, his voice was high and childlike. "Ah! Of course," he replied, stepping forward and bracing his shoulders against the large rock. The leverage of the branch was enough to pry the boulder from the earth's grasp, and with a shluck of suction, it pulled free from the mud.  

[Amorpheous]

The branch was sucked into the mud in the boulder's place. She gave it a few half-hearted nudges before shrugging. Never let it be said that she was overly helpful even though she knew that a branch such as the one she found would have been something else the buck could bring back to Never Idle. She wasn't too thrilled at putting in the work to dislodge it though, especially with how far she had dug it in. "Pity the branch can't go with you too."

Something about the buck's childish realization and eagerness once he realized what she meant for them to do made her want to simultaneously mock him more and be kind, which was something she never was. "Come on then, it's not going to roll itself back to that old, demanding stag."

She braced a shoulder against the boulder by his side, brows raised in mocking challenge, sharp teeth bared in biting smile, before beginning to push.

hybridic

Yesss, I'm so glad they get to meet!

 

[hybridic]

Amorpheous

I'm gonna hurry up and finish this interaction off so I can try and get my last item in before the prompt closes but we can totally have them meet again another time! Thank youuu!

Between the two of them, pushing the boulder back to Never Idle wasn't too daunting of a task -- though they were both dirty and tired by the end of their journey. They hadn't spoken much along the way besides the occasional "mind that root" or "a little to the left," and by the time Wolf Dream had caught his breath enough after they had delivered the boulder, the bright-eyed doe had disappeared once more. His tail twitched slightly as he looked around, remembering the half-familiar way she had moved -- as if he had seen her before in a dream. "But I didn't even find out your name," he spoke wonderingly to the empty clearing before shaking his head and returning to his search.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

A Kin has died here, perhaps this past winter. Its carcass has long since decayed to merely bones, and on a tree above its resting place someone has scrawled the symbol for a name, and a shape like a ripple in a still pool. Strangely, they have accompanied the marker with the symbol for a safe place.

Exhausted after his ordeal with the boulder, and perhaps wishing to find an answer to the bright-eyed doe's familiarity in a dream, Wolf Dream decides this spot is as good as any for a nap. He doesn't fear death -- in fact, the presence of another kin's spirit in this place might add to his already unusuall lucid dreams -- and the symbol for safety reassures him even farther, so he curls up into a small circle beneath the tree and falls asleep.

When he wakes, all he remembers of his dream is the echo of dripping, like water in a cave. It was a peaceful rest, however, and before he moves on Wolf Dream removes the blue stained feather from his tail and lays it on the ground at the foot of the tree -- an offering of thanks to the kin whose bones rest here.  

[hybridic]

Quote:

You locate a perfectly round, enormous boulder. It is exactly what Never Idle needs--but you're going to need help to uproot and move it. Help required. Success!

When he stumbles across the second large boulder, he knows he won't be able to bring it back to Never Idle without help. But that doe had appeared out of nowhere the first time -- would anyone be nearby who was willing to help him again? Maybe he should just leave it and try to find something easier to carry on his own...  

[phoenix kiss]

Someone did again -- called by the cosmos, maybe. An acha, this time, though one a bit longer-legged, sleek and pleasantly muscular and compact .. with the glowing blue eyes of a kimeti.

She leaps atop the boulder with a bunching of muscle and then cocks her head down at Wolf Dream. "What is it with kimeti and boulders lately? Is there something important about them I don't know about?"