Into The Unknown
12-17-2019, 03:11 PM
Sand dunes. That was all the female had seen for hours on end. Nothing but rolling hills of dried waves as far as the eye could see. Tiny granules clung to the hairs around her paws, including the long hairs feathering out around her ankles where her strides had kicked up the sand. Where ever she walked the thick, dried and cracked pads of her paws would ache in protest, both from the long endurance they had endured and the heat of the sand on which they walked. Behind her was a lonely trail weaving through the dunes with no obvious direction in mind. She had been traveling all day, for several days in a row, attempting to reach anything other than more sand dunes. If she had known when the first sandy mountain had appeared, that there would be nothing but identical dunes for days on end, she would have stuck to the coast instead.
She let out a huff as she stomped at the ground, a puff of sand blowing out around her in response. It seemed idiotic and reckless to enter the sands now that she had plenty of time to think back on it. At the time it seemed like a reasonable option, considering she wanted to head east, but she had no idea there would be endless sands awaiting her. A dry, rough cough rippled out of her throat due to the sand she had kicked up, causing her to wince in pain. It was a harsh reminder that she was in desperate need of water. Just the thought of the cool, clear, liquid had her attempting to wet her lips, but even her tongue had gone dry. Great. Just Great. She was going to die here.
"Are ya thirsty kiddo?" A tiny voice, high in it's tone but low in volume, suddenly asked. Odette chuckled to herself, "Ah, here comes the hallucinations. You really are going to die here." She shook her head and dropped it to face the ground, attempting to drop her head in shame, but a pair of large, green eyes stopped her. Large eyes sat squarely on a tiny, round face, with long white whiskers hanging from a pale pink nose. It looked like.. a kitten? "Hallucination? Ya think I'm a hallucination do ya? Do Hallucinations do this?" Suddenly the tiny, adorable face contorted into a face of focus and fear, launching itself towards Odette at an impressive speed until something sharp slashed across her muzzle. She jumped back with a squeal, lifting a paw to the bridge of her nose and finding tiny lines of blood. Enraged and confused she turned back to the tiny kitten with a deep frown. "What in the world are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the blonde creature.
Instead of answering, the tiny thing started walking to the left and away from Odette, a black tipped tail twitching behind it. "I'm the sand cat you oaf. Cordonia, Queen of the Dunes. I have been watching ya for the past couple hours, and ya are clearly lost. I know a waterhole nearby, and ya definitely look like ya could use a drink." Then she disappeared behind a dune. For a second, Odette hesitated. This could still be a hallucination, right? Leading her to her doom? But the tiny scratch marks on her snout told her it probably wasn't. So she took off, sand kicking up in her wake as she charged over the hill and found Cordonia already on the next, her head turned and waiting for Odette. Together they walked and walked, in pure silence, with Odette watching curiously as the feline moved. She spoke like an adult, but looked so young, it was bewildering the wolf.
Suddenly the cat came to a stop, drawing Odette's attention to the scene before them. A large pool of sparkling, dazzling water laid in waiting, caressed by the dunes and sparsely growing trees. The life force was lined with small patches of grass, making the scene glow with life in an otherwise dead terrain. It was an oddity for sure, to have a gathering of water in the land of sand, so strange in fact that once again Odette was faced with the possibility that this was all an illusion. "Well?" Cordonia questioned, gesturing to the pool with a dumbfounded expression. "Why aren't ya going?" Sighing as if she already knew it was all a big, cruel joke, Odette somberly walked down towards the water, expecting nothing but more sand to meet her paw as she reached out to splash against the hallucination. Instead of a cloud of sand, a wave of water rippled across the pool, and droplets turned back to rain down on Odette who was as surprised as she was ecstatic. "It's real? It's real!" She cheered, launching herself in the pool with the sand cat cackling by the shore.
She let out a huff as she stomped at the ground, a puff of sand blowing out around her in response. It seemed idiotic and reckless to enter the sands now that she had plenty of time to think back on it. At the time it seemed like a reasonable option, considering she wanted to head east, but she had no idea there would be endless sands awaiting her. A dry, rough cough rippled out of her throat due to the sand she had kicked up, causing her to wince in pain. It was a harsh reminder that she was in desperate need of water. Just the thought of the cool, clear, liquid had her attempting to wet her lips, but even her tongue had gone dry. Great. Just Great. She was going to die here.
"Are ya thirsty kiddo?" A tiny voice, high in it's tone but low in volume, suddenly asked. Odette chuckled to herself, "Ah, here comes the hallucinations. You really are going to die here." She shook her head and dropped it to face the ground, attempting to drop her head in shame, but a pair of large, green eyes stopped her. Large eyes sat squarely on a tiny, round face, with long white whiskers hanging from a pale pink nose. It looked like.. a kitten? "Hallucination? Ya think I'm a hallucination do ya? Do Hallucinations do this?" Suddenly the tiny, adorable face contorted into a face of focus and fear, launching itself towards Odette at an impressive speed until something sharp slashed across her muzzle. She jumped back with a squeal, lifting a paw to the bridge of her nose and finding tiny lines of blood. Enraged and confused she turned back to the tiny kitten with a deep frown. "What in the world are you?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the blonde creature.
Instead of answering, the tiny thing started walking to the left and away from Odette, a black tipped tail twitching behind it. "I'm the sand cat you oaf. Cordonia, Queen of the Dunes. I have been watching ya for the past couple hours, and ya are clearly lost. I know a waterhole nearby, and ya definitely look like ya could use a drink." Then she disappeared behind a dune. For a second, Odette hesitated. This could still be a hallucination, right? Leading her to her doom? But the tiny scratch marks on her snout told her it probably wasn't. So she took off, sand kicking up in her wake as she charged over the hill and found Cordonia already on the next, her head turned and waiting for Odette. Together they walked and walked, in pure silence, with Odette watching curiously as the feline moved. She spoke like an adult, but looked so young, it was bewildering the wolf.
Suddenly the cat came to a stop, drawing Odette's attention to the scene before them. A large pool of sparkling, dazzling water laid in waiting, caressed by the dunes and sparsely growing trees. The life force was lined with small patches of grass, making the scene glow with life in an otherwise dead terrain. It was an oddity for sure, to have a gathering of water in the land of sand, so strange in fact that once again Odette was faced with the possibility that this was all an illusion. "Well?" Cordonia questioned, gesturing to the pool with a dumbfounded expression. "Why aren't ya going?" Sighing as if she already knew it was all a big, cruel joke, Odette somberly walked down towards the water, expecting nothing but more sand to meet her paw as she reached out to splash against the hallucination. Instead of a cloud of sand, a wave of water rippled across the pool, and droplets turned back to rain down on Odette who was as surprised as she was ecstatic. "It's real? It's real!" She cheered, launching herself in the pool with the sand cat cackling by the shore.
"Odette" "Cordonia"
12-17-2019, 04:00 PM
She hated this desert. Luckily, Ashen was headed home soon. These sands would soon be an unpleasant memory. Bourbon, her mate (it still felt strange to think) had stayed behind today to help organize her stores before they shipped it all back to her home by Wolfpaw Lake. Returning to normal couldn't come soon enough, especially because she felt a queerness brewing in her body. There was change afoot within her. Lucretia couldn't put a paw on it yet, but the coming weeks would reveal that she was pregnant. For now she was still blissfully unawares. For all she hated the sands, it did provide some particularly rare and useful plants. Aloes and water-rich succulents seemed to thrive in these barren wastes and it would be good to cultivate what she could before they were out of easy reach. Lucretia was searching for useful herbs alongside her handy companion, Feverfew. The albino raccoon was slathered in a homemade talc sunscreen - she was dusty, uncomfortable, and feeling more than a little belligerent. "oh, come on, few. you know this is important," Luce chided, folding her ears back and fixing the raccoon with a pointed stare. The creature simply sneezed in response. "alright. I'll watch your nose with the sunscreen next time. I'm still perfecting it," she admitted. The unspoken criticism was fair. Nothing went perfectly on the first try as much as she'd like it to. Healing wasn't an exact science. The sound of distant shrieking pierced her ears. Due to her distance she couldn't quite make out whether it was joy or pain - regardless, they were close enough to Ashen territory that she was duty-bound to inspect the noise. Luce sighed and padded towards the source of the sound. As she approached the oasis, she spotted a stranger frolicking in the waters while a sand cat stood by and laughed. Feverfew sat back on her haunches and began to groom away the excess sunscreen from around her eyes and nose. "hello...? are you alright?" she called, a note of disinterest in her voice. It wasn't an Ashen wolf in distress; this sidebar only distracted from her gathering. Lucretia took her duties as a healer seriously enough that she at least had a passing interest in the welfare of a stranger. It was the only thing keeping her from turning away. "lucretia mutters..." |
12-17-2019, 05:07 PM
Odette had been, quite literally, soaking up the refreshing liquid. The cool water seeped into her fur and cooled her burning skin, but that simply wasn't enough. The female plunged her snout into the water and felt as if she had lapped up half of the reserves. Her stomach groaned with the added water weight but Odette paid no mind to it, instead she relished in it. The dreaded thoughts of dying from dehydration were pushed far into the back of her mind. She was so enveloped in the waters she did not even hear the approaching company until a feminine voice called out. Odette's head snapped up and in the direction of the wolf, seeing the white and black creature not far from her. A tinge of anxiety filled her chest, knowing all too well that her conversation skills are not the greatest. She waded closer to the shore so she could speak more clearly. "Yes, I'm alright now. I just.. needed water." She attempted to explain, embarrassed that she was even in this position. "I.. um.. I'm lost."
It was then her eyes found the small white creature traveling with the female, it almost looked like a painted raccoon but she couldn't be sure. "My name is Odette, I'm.. new around here." She felt so out of placed and her anxiety only grew. Why did she tell a stranger her name? Why is she telling her so much? Shouldn't she be on guard or holding her tongue? For all Odette knew this wolf was here with dark intent. Cordonia stayed in her position upon the dune, simply watching the wolves interact with each other, her curiosity with the creatures ever growing.
It was then her eyes found the small white creature traveling with the female, it almost looked like a painted raccoon but she couldn't be sure. "My name is Odette, I'm.. new around here." She felt so out of placed and her anxiety only grew. Why did she tell a stranger her name? Why is she telling her so much? Shouldn't she be on guard or holding her tongue? For all Odette knew this wolf was here with dark intent. Cordonia stayed in her position upon the dune, simply watching the wolves interact with each other, her curiosity with the creatures ever growing.
"Odette" "Cordonia"
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
12-17-2019, 05:32 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-17-2019, 05:36 PM by Sirius.)