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 Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:51 pm
 Socold. Socoldsocoldsocold. ;AA;
Every step made him cringe, and the small seer wished he had a thicker coat than the temperature warranted. Where was Venda? He could use some body heat right now, agagagaaggag. Maybe he should've gotten fat during the summer, he heard that that was how bears did it: eat a lot, and then sleep a lot while in warm dens.
That sounded so nice right now, it wasn't even funny. Worse, the sky above was gray, looking like it might add more snow in the coming hours. Adam let out a silent whine as he continued forward, the only thing keeping him remotely warm being exercise.
He found himself in what seemed to be the beginnings of a forest, and not one he believed he'd been in before. Trees could catch the snow with their branches, right? Even if most didn't have leaves. Or maybe he could find an abandoned den to just curl up and moan for a while in.
So much QQ, man. He wanted summer back.
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Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:28 pm
 Cozily nestled in her own pleasantly warm den, a dark red female stirred, blinking open golden eyes. They were whispering to her, her trees. Her forest. Lethargic though it was in these frozen months, the forest was never truly dead. It knew. It sensed the stranger in its midst, and it whispered to her. Told her of the stranger. Told her that he came. Whispering, whispering, always whispering.
So, Finch uncurled herself and climbed out of the den, combating the unusually bitter day with her thick coat of fur. Still, she knew she would have to be quick to avoid ice between her toes. Stopping to chew it out was less than pleasant, especially when she could be warm inside her den. Swiftly, but quietly, the wolf made her unerring way toward the stranger in the forest.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:08 am
Okay, first thing to do when entering a new area: ask the locals for a good place to sleep. Adam cast his mind out as he gingerly stepped onward, making faces with each. Squirrel . . . couple of birds . . . quite a few insects hidden within or upon trees, eking out what food they could. No luck on particular places yet.
There was a silver lining to al of this, though. The stark contrast of white snow to darker trunks made it easy for Adam to navigate without tripping - this was a much bigger problem in, say, spring and summer. And it was perhaps this that allowed him to see a splash of red and peach in the distance before he could hear any sign of company.
Another squirrel? No, his projected mind could immediately tell this was in fact a wolf. But the feeling, the "aura" of the wolf in quest on was . . . different. Adam paused in step, shivering but still curious. Was this wolf . . . ?
Hmm. He didn't want to just suddenly say HI THERE in a stranger's mind, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity to investigate the funny aura. So he instead projected not words, but a notion, a feeling, a distinct sense of presence -
- in short, a big, unapologetic, yet awed OuO???
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:41 pm
Finch thought she had caught a glimpse of the stranger in her forest moments before something happened to make her pause and c**k her head curiously. She was used to the forest whispering to her, but she had rarely felt anything else in her mind. In fact, the only one she had ever felt like this was her sister. Could it be? Was it really Tiah? A flutter of excitement overcame her before she realized with no small measure of disappointment that this other wolf, whoever it was, did not feel at all like her sister. No. It was someone else entirely.
Regardless, she had set out on a mission and she was determined to see it through. She would meet the stranger, and see if he needed help, and maybe she could learn something about him. Was he like Tiah? Could he do what she did? She would soon find out.
With little ado, she started moving again, motivated now by both curiosity and the desire to avoid ice between the toes.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:25 pm
Was that indifference he sensed in response? No, the mind was getting closer now . . . It wasn't like he was hard to spot, from what Adam understood during the very few times he'd caught his reflection in the water. He could've asked for Venda to project the image, but asking her to use her powers for something so small would've made him feel guilty; his friend already had issues with that sort of sight without him asking her to push it.
Sure that he was about to be greeted (as he saw a bobbing reddish figure reappear once more), Adam took a relaxed posture - or as relaxed as shivering would allow. Would it hurt to say hi first? He didn't like necessarily showcasing his seer status, especially since that would involve divulging into his various disabilities. But this wolf felt different. This whole forest felt different.
He eventually decided to just wait and see first, smiling as the figure drew near. It couldn't hurt to be careful after all, especially when he was cold and hungry and homeless - offending or scaring others was not in his best interest.
Though he did look a little weird, just standing there and smiling congenially. Agh, Adam couldn't win.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:43 pm
Even Finch could not help but be struck by the stranger's unusual coat. She had never seen anything like it in all of her life. Of course, after the humans, she had not seen very many wolves at all, here in her lonely forest. She drew nearer and nearer and did not stop, but instead circled the stranger to better see his fur. The spots and stripes and splotches were fascinating. How well they blended together!
Finally, she came to a rest in front of him and cocked her head.
"Pretty," she said simply, content to let it rest at that.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:14 pm
OuO He stood quite still las the stranger approached and then encircled him. He even tried to follow her movements, head jiggling in rotation to keep up when his eyes had reached their limit. 'Thanks!' he "said", moving his mouth in time with the word for an authentic act of speaking without voice. It had taken him weeks of practice. 'You too,' Adam added since it was always good to give compliments back. It was nice for once that his eyes weren't unnerving someone.
'Is this your forest?' Perhaps he had met the patroller from a pack or something. Maybe that was the subtle difference he'd felt upon entering, the echo of minds who had passed through.
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:28 pm
She cocked her head the other way at the compliment, unused to such things and not certain how to take it.
Ah, but there it was. The inevitable question that everyone asked. Was this her forest? How could they not know? How could they not sense it? How could they not hear the gently whispers of the trees and brush and moss? Was there ever a time when she could not hear the forest? She did not remember. If it were so, then it was during a time she wanted nothing more than to forget.
"Together," she said. "The forest and Finch live together. It belongs to itself, but it likes Finch. It lets her stay. It takes care of her and she takes care of it." She paused and considered him. "It told Finch someone was coming. It said Finch should help the stranger. Is he lost? Are you well?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:36 pm
Adam couldn't help but c**k his head a bit at her manner of speech, though he was not one to judge so much as be curious. 'It's alive?' he asked, somehow still knowing the answer to his own question: there was something different about the forest. Maybe just the fact that it was alive despite all others being dead in the winter? 'Can it kick others out if it doesn't like them? Does it like me?'
Uh oh, he better make sure he didn't give it reason not to!
'And, um . . . I'm kinda lost yeah. And cold. And hungryyyyyyy.' ;~;
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:45 pm
"Alive, alive. All forests are alive," she said as though that should be obvious. Of course, this one was even more sentient than others. It is what had called her to it so strongly.
"It said to meet the stranger," she continued, ignoring the question of the forest's mobility. "It likes him. It likes you." It would not have been so helpful if it did not. It would have warned her, not guided her. It was her friend.
Oh. There. He needed help after all. At the prospect of something tangible and useful she could do, Finch perked up and wagged her tail slightly.
"Come, come," she said, turning back the way she had come from. "Finch has rabbit in her den. He you can eat and rest, then Finch can help you."
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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:24 pm
ouo He had not expected to be welcomed so easily or even so eagerly, and so relieved and thankful was he that, while Finch's back was turned to lead him onwards, he sent a quick overlapping message at the trees without the use of his mouth. 'Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouuuuuuuuu!'
He knew what the trees were capable of. His old friend Mordariel had many times told him of the occasions where the jungle's roots had tripped her, tree vines nearly choked. But even had he not, Adam would have said thank you, for if it was alive it deserved thanks for hospitality - and it wasn't like Finch would judge him, right?
With puppyish spring in his step, the small male followed alongside Finch, tail wagging. The cold was apparently forgotten, even though it made his scars itch. 'Thank you, miss,' he too told her, though with paralleling mouth movements once more. 'I've been walking a long while, and I lost my friend somewhere along the way, and it's been so cooooooold, and I'm super bad at hunting.'
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 2:43 pm
Finch felt the trees’ pleasure and approval, and felt herself equally pleased with the stranger. It was rare for anyone to take the time to consider the forest’s feelings, let alone give it the courtesy it deserved. Yet, he even thanked her! She was not certain how she felt about that. She just wanted to help him. Then again, was that not why people thanked others?
Well. When he mentioned his lack of skill at hunting, Finch refrained from telling him that she was really not much better. On her own, she could not take down a deer, or anything of decent size. Instead, she lived primarily on rabbits and squirrels and whatever other small creatures she could find, when she was lucky enough to catch them. No. She would not mention that; she wanted to share her food, not let his go hungry when he was accepting her hospitality and gracing her with his pleasant company.
“Finch is happy to help. It is a cold winter. She wonders. What is your name?”
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:10 pm
Oh right, he'd forgotten to introduce himself! Probably because the nice lady had inadvertently already told him hers. 'My name's Adam,' he chirped as he lightly padded after her, still getting strange vibes from the she-wolf despite her clearly being hospitable. Not bad vibes or anything like that, but . . . vibes. Adam wasn't sure how to clearly address it without making it sound weird or maybe even mean, and he knew at some point he was probably going to have to ask about it; it was just how his curiosity worked. 'So how long've you been here, Finch? Are there others here I can meet? Does the forest have a name?'
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:33 pm
”Ad-am,” she said, testing. “Ad-de, Ad-da, Am-a. Adda.”
Yes. An interesting name. Different than hers, or her siblings. Strange, but good. She nodded definitively, apparently pleased.
His questions, however, called to mind the crux of her problem: she was alone. The forest was lovely. It was her friend. Yet, it was not a wolf. It could sing, but its songs were not wolf-songs. It could comfort, but it could not offer warmth or touch. It could whisper and converse, but it could not play, and try as it might, it could not truly understand her mortal problems and concerns. She was lonely.
But Adam was here, now. For a little while, at least, she would not be lonely.
“Finch has been here for many moons, but it is only Finch and Jialin and Adam. Her name is Jialin.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:00 pm
Jialin, huh? That was a funny name, but then it was kinda funny that a forest had a name at all anyway, a name like his or hers even. Then again, Finch did say the forest was alive. 'Hello, Jialin,' he told the trees. 'And thanks again.' Though it seemed like Finch would have quite a lonely experience, just herself and her forest! He knew what loneliness could be like, and he was not keen on prolonging it when he could find amicable company like this, however strangely she spoke. Or whatever weird vibes there were.
His stomach gave a hungry rumble, making him tilt his ears back a bit. 'Um um um. So there's no family or friends around? Just us?' Would he find refuge from his nightmares in this odd patch of forest? Adam hadn't had them in a while, but he still sometimes had glimpses, bits and pieces of futures that taunted. 'I'll help keep you warm if you want to. I don't really have anyplace to go right now . . .'
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