Navigation - Whistling Willows

Slipping through the drapery of willow fronds Ullr gazed at the pond nestled between the willows.  It's surface gleaming and teeming with plant and animal life and the man pondered gently if he wished to take a break form exploring to hunt some small game.  In the end he decided he wasn't all that hungry… not yet anyway. He manuevered to the edge of the pond, sending frogs scattering for cover as he dipped his head to drink.  Another pleasant spring day at least for awhile.  He could feel the humidity growing in the air and the shift in the wind promising a spring storm.

"Speech"

Finally she was home! And it was about time she began to familiarize herself with her home lands, and the wolves within it. She'd been away so long, she hardly felt at home here. That was not good! So she found herself in a part of the territory that she really quite liked. It reminded her of the ever-enchanting weeping woods in the south. The Whistling Willows was pretty much just as neat. She brushed through the dangling vines, parting her way past each tree, until she noticed the presence of a pack mate, catching his scent in the warm, damp air. Well, she might as well get to know this guy, whoever he was! She followed the light pawprints left in the soft ground, and within minutes she spotted the man drinking from the pond. "Hey there!" she called out, approaching his right side, "Mind if I join you?" She leaned toward the water and lapped at the surface, reveling in the soothing liquid as it splashed down her parched throat. The sound of crickets, singing frogs and other pond critters filled her ears, causing her to smile in amusement. She liked it here, something about it just felt right. She glanced at the unfamiliar man again. "My name's Esarosa," she offered, then tilted her head with a questioning look. So, who was he? "Speak" "Listen" Think

Navigation - Whistling Willows

Ahhh…. Ullr smiled softly as he licked the remaining water droplets away from his mouth. That was a good drink. Hmm…. Ullr eyed a frog sitting upon a lillypad in the middle of the pond. If he got a running start he could totally make that. Ullr was about to back away from the pond when a voice startled him from his thoughts and he turned to see a dark-pelted female that he recognized at the first meeting. He hadn't caught her name though. Thankfully she was quick to provide it. "Hello there, Esarosa. I'm Ullr Vil-" Why was he still using his last name? Vili meant less than shit to him now. He coughed. "Sorry, I'm Ullr. Just Ullr and sure go right ahead." He moved to the side a bit as if making room for her to sit, not that there wasn't plenty of room. "So what brings you to the pond today?"

"Speech"

She was amused as she saw that she'd startled him out of whatever thought he'd been stuck in. He faced her, and she perked up when he spoke his name. He seemed to pause halfway through, as though he'd changed his mind about his name. Confused, she quirked a brow and tilted her head. She didn't have to ask though as he explained his name was just Ullr. She wondered what had happened to make him lose his last name, but this was not the time or place to ask such a thing. It was none of her business. So she would merely focus on their greeting, and nodded with a grin to him. "Nice to meet you, Ullr," she said, tail flicking back and forth. She glanced to the pond, strewn with lily pads and bustling with the activity of smaller critters. Why was she here. Well, she supposed she was just curious. "I've just come to have a look, I suppose," she stated, not really used to offering any reasoning to her actions, "Have to get to know the place, now that this is home. And I love food, so I just have to find out the best places to eat." Already, the pond and the surrounding willows looked promising. There were plenty of attractions for prey animals, and the environment provided cover for both predator and prey. It was perfect. "What about you?" she'd ask, tilting her head, "Have you gotten a chance to really check this place out, or is it new to you as well?" "Speak" "Listen" Think

It was pleasant here, the sunlight filtering through the trees and dappling the warm ground. It was also nice to have company. Ullr had been living alone for so long now he wasn't quite sure how to act around Esarosa and he felt a sudden pang as he thought of his sister, Dyani. They'd gone their separate ways years ago and he couldn't help but wonder how she was doing.

Ullr nodded at Esarosa's words. "Aye, I figure if I'm going to live here I out to get a feel for the land to." At the woman's mention of food Ullr grinned. "Really? Me too! What's your favorite food? I bet we could gather up some frog legs if you're hungry." He glanced at the frogs sitting warily on the lily pads. It'd been awhile since he'd hunted for frogs.

"This place is still pretty new to me but I hope to get more familiar with it as well as the surrounding lands. Do you like to explore to?" Ullr felt his heart beat faster in the excitement of making a new friend.

"Speech"

Esa grinned in return as Ullr mentioned his love for food as well. He sounded just as enthused as she was. He even suggested that they could gather up some frog legs. Her mouth watered at the thought of it. "Absolutely!" she exclaimed, looking to the pond where the frogs hung around on the lily pads. They'd be an easy catch - she looked back to Ullr with a smile. Oh, they could definitely be friends after this. But how was she supposed to determine what kind of food was her favourite? Her mind raced, her eyes shifting from side to side and her tail starting to wave thoughtfully. "My favourite is seafood!" she decided fairly quickly, nodding her head, "Do you have a favourite?" She couldn't help but to be curious - maybe he liked something she'd never even heard of. She perked her ears as he mentioned this place was fairly new to him, nodding in agreement. She was also unfamiliar with the land, although the willows and pond certainly had her attention. "Yea, I need to get to know this place too," she confirmed, "It looks pretty interesting to me." She lit up with excitement as he asked if she also liked to explore, following his question with an eager nod. "Are you also an explorer?" she asked, her ebony tail wiggling, "Do you want to check this place out together?" It would be twice the fun to explore with a pack mate, someone who could be her friend. "Speak" "Listen" Think

Esarosa directed his question back at him and Ullr sat there for a moment as he flipped through all the food options. Shoot… that really was a tough question. To pick one favorite? "Umm… well…. I guess as far as prey goes my favorite is still white-tailed deer. I like the liver and the shoulder meat the best." Simple tastes he supposed considering the wide list of prey he'd tried but something about the good ol' standard venision just made him feel… at home wasn't the word. Or was it? He couldn't quite place it. Hearty? Whole?

Ullr's tail would wag lightly, excited to have a fellow explorer and food enthusiast to hang out with. He would nod eagerly as Esarosa asked him if he was also an explorer. "I love to travel, I have a hard time staying in one spot to long… or did. I'm feeling pretty good about Argead. This time I think I can make the pack life stick with the occasional trips to explore other lands. Yes! I'd love to check this place out with you. But first, how about we have a snack?" He grinned and got to his paws, eyeing the frogs sitting on the lilly pads, he selected a target and waited for Esarosa to get ready. He'd gesture with his head in a ladies-first type of manner to give her first attack. He planned to spring at about the same time for the frog closest to him.

"Speech"

Esa listened as Ullr revealed his favourite prey of choice. It was simple, but there was nothing wrong with that. Deer was always a hearty choice - there was so much meat, you could stuff yourself and be full for days. She could understand why that was his preference, and her mouth watered at the thought of fresh deer meat. It had been a long, long time since she'd hunted larger prey, since she'd spent so much time alone. She mostly hunted smaller prey, and thought momentarily satisfying, it was a lot of work to keep up with. Seeing just his expression and wagging tail, she could tell that he was also a traveler. She smiled as he went on to say he seldom liked to stay in one spot, but was feeling good about Argead. She had to agree. She'd never thought pack life would agree with her, but Argead was actually just right for her - there were so many wolves just like herself to make friends with, and they wouldn't be penalized for exploring as long as they pulled their weight. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Ullr how she'd truly ended up here and decided to tie herself down to a pack, to show that she could be reliable and responsible. There was only one wolf she'd done this for, and although it wasn't working in her favor, she didn't regret it. She perked up as he mentioned snacks before exploring; she licked her lips, nodding to him. As he gestured with his head for her to go first, she lined herself up beside him, eyeing the frogs on the lilypads. They looked wary, but stayed put. The wolves would just have to dive quickly and predict the frogs' movements. She crouched down, readying her limbs to leap into the pond. "Ready... ?" she whispered, giving Ullr a sidelong glance. Then she sprung forward, watching her target frog plunge into the water just a second before her paws hit the water's surface. Esa wouldn't let it get away - as she hit the water, her head plunged beneath the surface, jaws snapping accurately upon the frog before it could swim any further. When she broke the surface, she giggled to herself and swam back to the edge of the pond, pulling herself up onto solid ground. It wasn't the biggest frog, but it was better than nothing. Pleased with her catch anyways, she began to dug in, peeking up to see how Ullr had fared. Was he also good at catching frogs? "Speak" "Listen" Think

Ullr eyed the frog, his limbs coiling and body tensed. His jaws parted as he eyed the frog, it’s bulging eyes staring blankly back at him. He nodded as Esarosa asked if he was ready. Oh yea, he was ready alright. They’d be having frog legs tonight! As Esarosa sprang so did Ullr. He dove forward into the water, jaws parted and teeth bared as they latched around the slimy creature. It croaked… in more ways than one and Ullr paddled his way back to the shore, tail wagging happily and sending a spray of water behind him.

The man scrambled onto the shore and shook out his coat, turning to grin at his new friend. Ullr crunched away as he worked the frog down. Licking his lips, he shook out his coat again. Ahhhh… now that was a tasty snack! “Mmm… frog legs. Well now that we’ve had a snack to tide us over do you want to do some exploring. You can pick the first direction!”

"Speech"

This was fantastic fun indeed. She returned Ullr's grin when he scrambled onto shore with his catch firmly clamped and dangling in his jaws. So he was good at catching frogs! She'd never met someone so interested in hunting weird critters and exploring new territory like she was. Once they'd gulped down their slippery snacks, Ullr would offer her first pick of directions for a little adventure around the pond and willows. Oh, where did they start? With a somewhat childish glint of excitement in her eyes, she would look around, first to her left, then to her right, and she would decide upon the latter. There seemed to be deeper foliage to her right, and for whatever peculiar reason, that appealed to her. "Let's go this way, then!" she suggested, giving her ebony coat a good shake to remove the excess water. Springing to her paws enthusiastically, she bounded away, leaving the edge of the pond, though she was sure they would come to the water's shore again. Long willow tendrils brushed the tips of her ears as she pranced beneath the trees, her eyes scanning her surroundings to take in every detail - this place was home now, and she knew one day she would know every twist and turn. Slowing her stride just a little, she looked over her shoulder to see if her new friend was following, and wondering what direction he'd like to take next. "Speak" "Listen" Think