The Forbidden Fruit has Rotted
Setekh stopped, marveling the wonder before him. Rows and rows of trees, shrubs, bushes, but most, if not all, as far as the eye could see, were bare and dead. Piles of questionably round objects half-squashed littered the ground he walked on. Leaning down, he approached the closest half-orb and prodded it with his nose. Almost instantly, the brute reeled backward, brown liquid oozed from the fruit and his scent was filled with foul and damnable things. Stifling the urge to vomit, the brute bared his fangs and growled, his stomach churning. It's a good thing I didn't eat yet today... His eyes glistened with sick tears, and his tail lashed angrily behind him. Backing up the beast glared at the fruit one last time, before ambling on, deeper into the grove. For a moment, the trees held a sense of wonder, but now... Now he sensed they held a power, a sickening power.
The thought festered in his mind, and he stopped before another gnarled tree. It's branches twisted upward and out, praising the heavens, while also drooping in spots. The goliath bared its soul, all but one low branch. Setekh inspected it with a curiosity befitting a child, his eyes questioning the glistening orb hanging from the tree. Though everything else around here took on a deep brown tone, or even green, some looking fuzzy, and most looking completely inedible, this one looked like it called for someone to eat it. Encased in ice, he watched the water drip from the tendrils, and he desire to lap at it. He sat, gingerly, his tail brushing away some of the foul smelling items, and his tongue moistened his lips, "So this is the fabled forbidden fruit... How delicious." He mused, his vocals reaching out into the near-silence, a few stray crows and ravens scoured the skies, searching for meals, "Now comes the real question, how to taste your... innards." His ears lowered, and his head tilted. How indeed, or more importantly, was the inside of this frozen treat as rotten as the ones that fell to their demise?
ooc: I'm interested in getting Setekh into learning about plants, both healing and poisonous, because his skill is healing, as well as possibly make some friends/frenimies/acquaintances, and maybe one enemy, but be forewarned, any of Setekh's family can intrude at any time in his threads, and if attacked, it's likely it won't be a fair 1 v 1. This post is marked mature because he can and probably will be for mature audiences.
Despite her original plans, Ara found herself heading just south of the knolls toward a place she'd been to more than once before - the orchard. Winter was still here, but fading fast, and with the cold dissipating came a new sense of urgency; finding a place to settle with Athena, as well as her son and hopefully his children was highly appealing. The thought of settling down soon in lands with milder weather, too, was wildly appealing.. and so here she was, padding across the ground lightly dusted with snow, noting that much of it seemed to have been melting. While the orchard hadn't fully bloomed yet, it was certainly on the downward slope of winter. |
Stuck in a daydream, he watched the encased fruit sway on the branch. With a start, a noise sounded behind the brute, and like a song, his head and ears swiveled to catch her tones, "Finding anything of interest?" Inhaling deeply, the young male twisted, his eyes curious, and his lips drawn into a loose smile. In this place of mystery, it's too hard to resist beaming, with a nod, his gentle tones caressed the air, "I'm not quite sure I'd call it interesting but it's nothing short of miraculous." His head inclined to tilt toward the dripping mass, curious to see what his elder would say about it. In this current moment, Setekh was more or less curious about the world around him, and what were the odds he'd run into someone new, an older female that smelled of strange scents, more than just other wolves.
Setekh stood, and moved a little to the side, so that she had space to move toward him should she wish, and he couldn't help but staring at her sack, "I hope you don't find me being rude but... What's the sack for?" His head tilted, his golden necklace bouncing lightly off his charcoal colored fur. His eyes narrowed slightly, mere curiosity brightening the molten core of the boy. He wouldn't lie, she was quite curious looking as well. A refined beauty. He sat again, allowing his tail to curl along his paws, his patience proving its' worth today.
So far, he'd traveled from two ends of this place and was vaguely interested in the knowledge this place could hold. Not to mention, after rekindling more than just the flames that burned between his sister and him, there was a chance that he could find more of his family. It was always bittersweet thinking of his family, because in one moment, he remembered happiness, but... Then it would twist to viewing his bloated and decaying mother. He shuddered, and blinked back these memories, She doesn't need to know, it isn't something that would make you welcomed. He grinned almost apologetically, "My name is Setekh, I'm... I'm new around here."
Looking down at his paws, he gently nudged a blackened ball. Unlike the first, this one was hard, and cold, and no juices squeezed out. He stuck out his tongue and kicked the piece away before turning his attention back to his new company, and added softly, "I can't imagine many wanting to explore this area... It's rather," he debated on what to say, not knowing if he was being too harsh on the items that littered the ground, "Putrid." The word came out with a wrinkle of his mouth, and anyone around could see that he had experience with the rotting fruit. It was quite comical.
"Talk dirty to me" |
Ara was pleased at his friendly reaction, watching as he turned with a start and smiled in her direction. Most wolves, though, she'd found to be quite friendly. She was blissfully unaware that the fact that most wolves were kind toward her was often because her own demeanor was so warm and nonthreatening - though she wasn't at all naive to the evils of the world. At least this brute didn't seem a threat, and so slowly she would take a few long strides closer to him, her own expression brightening with a meek, but genuine, smile. |
He nodded slowly, almost ashamed at the fact that it was his first time entering this place, or seeing such strange things, "I'll admit, it is my first time... I'm not quite versed in this land yet, the terrain is rather... difficult to maneuver." There was a tilt to his head as he listened to her words, slightly confused, but he processed and let his brows furrow as he mulled over her words, Fruit? It wasn't a surprise that the boy was a bit confused, he was young when he began traveling, and fruit was not something he was accustomed to, he spoke softly, embarrassed, "Is... Is fruit edible?" Setekh hoped she wouldn't judge him, but if she did, he would hold his head high, she didn't need to know his thoughts. His back arched, and he leveled his eyes with hers, but he still felt quite imbecilic.
A smile crawled across his face as he watched this intriguing female. Her excitement brought a strange sense of longing to his core, and though he was a rather stubborn and brutish young man, he felt for her. He also watched with a slight horror as she tried to reign herself back in, Who has already clipped your wings little birdy? Setekh's brows furrowed, and he turned his attention away from her. He didn't want to get angry thinking that someone broke this woman's spirit so badly that she couldn't get excited about things without fear of judgement from others. He kept quiet for a time, his focus on her voice and her words as she finished speaking, not quite knowing exactly what to say next.
Clearing his throat, his ears and head turned toward her again, and he angled his body more toward hers, his interest clear, and he spoke again, "Herbs?" Not in so many words did the boy speak, but he did smile sheepishly, as he chuckled and spoke again, "Forgive me if I'm overstepping some boundaries, but... I'm interested in learning what plants are around here that can be help, and can be harm. I... I've taken a shine to some from my home, but here I'm rather turned around."
He listened to her words and he spoke softly again, turning away, shyly, playing innocent and young like any male would, "Even in this visual wasteland, there's always some beauty. You may just have to look for it." His comment wasn't directly toward her, but it could be. He merely meant that with the disgust, there could be some death, or some sickness, and that fascinated the young male. His paw reached out again for the fruit and he applied slight pressure. As it oozed below his paws, he wondered if someone would vomit from this. It's strange to see that from that statement there could be two entirely different meanings.
"Talk dirty to me" |