Straw Wolf Crafting

Low Risk

A station has been built for participants to craft a wolf out of straw. A great activity for pups! The completed straw wolves will guard the harvest, and the familiars have hinted that there is something special in store for them at the end of the week!

Requirements:
To participate in this activity, complete a 3+ round thread or 800+ word solo in the Stone Steppe.
You can assume that many various materials have been laid out for you already to use, though you may bring your own if you choose!
Completed threads can be claimed for 30 Intellect Skill Points.

Code:

[b]Player Name:[/b]
[b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Link to Thread[/b] <a href="LINK">Here</a>

Player Name: RelevantKoala
Character Name: Zephyrus
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf... er... Bird creation. They seem to observe the avian shape with a critical eye and before you can take off, are practically shoving a little autumn decorate goodie bag into your wings... Or Talons... It feels a little heavy and makes the distinct sound of liquids sloshing in a container as it is jostled, it makes your take-off a little awkward. As you are lifting into the air you see the familiar gingerly take your straw bird and chuck it into the bonfire. The edges of the straw, the feathers, are the first to light up and for a moment you have thoughts of a legendary fire bird known for its regenerative powers... And then as the rest of the figure starts to burn that thought is quickly replaced by morbid thoughts of if that's what you'd look like if your feather's ever caught fire. Probably better not to think about that one, instead, you catch the updraft from the smoke your straw bird made, a little puff of green smoke that lifts you higher and lets you see all of the lands, including home.

You have received:
A Grow Potion & 100 Gems have been added to your credits

Staff: note when claimed

Player Name: Chrono
Character Name: Fiametta
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf creation. They seem to observe the lupine shape with a critical eye and then they turn their gaze on you, noting the obvious color choice, and just give a slow nod and a click of their tongue. You get the distinct feeling they don't like it. You suppress your annoyance with this reaction with practiced ease. Then watch as it picks up the straw wolf and with no care throws it at the bonfire. It'd almost be impressive the distance their throw covers if you weren't annoyed. You find that your gaze can't help but follow the arc of your crafted wolf as it lands gracelessly in the flames, the feathers catching immediately and you can't seem you tear your eyes away as it burns bright, brighter somehow than the rest of the flames, it hurts your eyes but you can't look away. A cloudy plume of smoke rises from the fire and seems to beeline it for you. You cough and hack, trying to expel the smoke from your lungs, it tastes like death and smells like blood. When you catch your breath your head is pounding and you see auras around everything and everyone, reminiscent of the way your wolf burned. Probably a good thing home is so close, your skull feels like it is splitting.

You have received:
Temporary migraines (For 2 OOC weeks)

Player Name: Hermes
Character Name: Haydée
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. The one that has been helping you this whole time graciously accepts your wolf creation after you show it to your mother. They seem to observe the lupine shape with a critical eye and give you a soft smile you will realize later in life was the sort of smile an adult gives a child to placate them, but for now, you are happy with your sparkly stone-covered wolf. The familiar gives your mother a respectful nod and gently carries it over to the bonfire and gingerly, aware you are watching, drops it in the flames. You look on in horror as the soft outer layer of straw goes up in flames. You have to turn away, your little puppy brain not able to comprehend the feeling of dread that comes over you as the last image you have of your straw wolf is its red eyes staring at you as it burns up. You turn away and can't help but cry into your mother's loving embrace, you cannot comprehend the fear of death that is washing over you, you are too young to understand it and you may never even remember this day when you are old enough to understand it. But you cry, and you cry and you cry, all the way home. You cry so hard you give yourself a headache.

You have received:
Temporary migraines (For 2 OOC weeks)

Player Name: RelevantKoala
Character Name: Vântoase
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf. Or well it tries too, but you've seen what they've been doing with the other straw wolves and you're not about to let them burn yours! You hold tight to your little wolf, and the familiar gives you a look that says they understand but also don't let go. You let a little whine escape your lips and the commotion brings a few more familiars over who try to coax the straw figure from your grasp. Why can't they just let you take it home instead of burning it? Finally, your grasp slips and you watch wide-eyed as your new friend is quickly carried over to the flames and gently placed inside. You can't help the tears that stream down your face as you look into those crystalline eyes, so much like your own and you are rising to your paws, moving before you even realize it. You know not to shove your face into the flames but instead, your forepaws shoot into the flames, desperate to grab your straw wolf and save it from the devouring fire. A loud screech is heard right behind you and before your brain can even register the pain in your forepaws you are painfully pulled back from the fire, a very thin black cat, with arched back and puffed tail has pulled you bodily from the fire and comes around to survey the damage, explaining hurridly to your escort what has happened and trying their best to placate them. You look at your forepaws, the fur blackened where it still is and your skin already growing an angry red. They hurt, you look at the flames and wonder if your straw wolf is hurting like this too.

You have received:
A Minor injury - Minor burns on forepaws (Heals in 2 OOC weeks, will not scar)

Player Name: Hermes
Character Name: Andromeda
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and your parents and graciously accepts your wolf creation. They seem to observe the lupine shape with a critical eye and they give you a grin, telling you they like that it has your mom's horns and your father's teeth. You beam happily and the familiar gives you a little goodie bag decorated in autumnal items. It jingles happily when you shake it and you show it off happily to your parents, your back turned for the moment when your straw wolf is added to the pyre, you do not see it going up in flame, nor do you see the puff of green smoke that goes up as it falls to cinders. You are only aware of your new jingling pouch and the feeling of having made friends with your niece.

You have received:
150 Gems have been added to your credits

Player Name:  lunarcat7
Character Name: Birna
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. However, you are more proactive than that and add your finished wolf to a pile some of the familiars have made. One of them gives you an appreciative nod and then has to stifle a laugh as it looks at your straw wolf. It does a very bad job of it. It picks the wolf up by the squirrel tail and tries, and fails, again to hide its giggles. You feel a little foolish and can't seem to chase that feeling away as you watch the wolf gets added to the bonfire. You try not to think about the little gaggle of familiars who can't seem to stop laughing. Maybe you hadn't been successful as you thought, and you decide a drink does in fact sound like a good way to chase away the memory of this light embarrassment.

You have received:
Loss of 26 Hunting skill points

Player Name: lunarcat7
Character Name: Jynn
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. However, you have already added your little lupine figure to a pile you saw building off to the side, it's little bow helping it to stick out from the pile and a group of familiars thank you and offer various blessings in parting. You watch as they gather up some of the figures from the pile and start putting them on the bonfire. Your mind turns to food when you hear a little yelp, one of the familiars that was carrying a few smaller straw wolves has tripped, its items flying through the air. Right towards you. Without thinking about it, you rear up to catch the straw wolves as they fly toward you. Two straw wolves are caught in your jaws, your mouth forced open further than would normally be comfortable. You offer the straw figures to the apologetic familiar and assure them it was no worry. But as you walk away you feel a slow blooming of pain in the hinge of your jaw, you may have strained it more than you thought.  

You have received:
Minor injury - Sprained jaw (Heals in 2 weeks)

Player Name: Seadragoness
Character Name: Mercury
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf... Or would but the figure the two of you worked together on is a little too big for the rat, who looks up at the both of you and asks if you wouldn't mind bringing it over to the pile for now. You look at your companion and the two of you awkwardly try and maneuver the straw wolf. Its running form, it turns out, makes it a little harder to move easily. You mostly end up with a lot of tail leaves in your face and you can only hear as Anthea takes a sharp breath in, but she doesn't appear to stop so you decide that at least for now you're going to focus on getting this straw wolf moved other and then you can make sure she's okay. You're forced to move backward as you both move the lupine figure, and more than once you trip over your own paws, you feel about as graceful as a rampaging bear, who's also drunk. You try not to think too hard about how silly you must look and just focus on getting your straw wolf added to the pile.

You have received:
Loss of 15 Fighting skill points

Note: Due to no longer having enough skill points for master Mercury has lost his fighting specialty, however he may get it reapplied once he has enough skill points for master without having to buy a new unlock.

Player Name: Shelby
Character Name: Anthea
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf... Or would but the figure the two of you worked together on is a little too big for the rat, who looks up at the both of you and asks if you wouldn't mind bringing it over to the pile for now. You and Mercury agree to do so and awkwardly find a way to lift the straw wolf. Unfortunately, while you have the easier task of seeing where you are going, you also discover the way you two shaped the legs to look like the wolf is running has made the straw wolf hard to carry and even worse, means it keeps brushing against your forelegs with each step. At first, that isn't so bad but the straw is rough and as it continues to brush against the front of your forelegs it starts to get more and more painful until finally with one step it scrapes against your flesh and just barely cuts the top layer. You take a sharp breath in but keep pushing. When you both finally drop the straw wolf off you look down to see small beads of blood on your forelegs, it didn't even really open it into cuts but your flesh is raw and an angry red.

You have received:
Minor foreleg scrapes (Heals in 2 weeks)

Player Name: Ali
Character Name: Hanzo
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. But you put yours down upon a little stone altar and return home. But for reasons you cannot explain your mind keeps drifting back to the doll in your father's room. It sits uncomfortably at the back of your mind the whole trip, you do not look back as you travel, so you do not see the large, choking, pitch-black smoke that rises from the steppes, do not know it comes from your little straw wolf as it goes up in flames... You do not see how it looks much like a wolf. Your own belief in curses and the like are your own but it would be hard to deny that before you even get home you've started to feel pain blooming in your skull, and the outlines of things seem to shift and the pain continues to spread through your head. You grit your teeth to try and make your way home. The entire time you are suffering from migraines the memories of those wolves, slain for the doll will sit at the back of your mind.

You have received:
Temporary migraines (For 2 OOC weeks)

Player Name: Lolaf
Character Name: Desponia
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf creation. They seem to observe the lupine shape with a critical eye and then they give you a once-over. They shrug and give you a look that says "good enough." You hold back your desire to roll your eyes and give your companion a quick goodbye. It was a good way to spend a little time you guessed. The light of day was fading fast and you made the decision to make your way home before it gets too dark. However, as you are walking the bonfire flares, catching your eye. You spot your straw wolf burning within it and you can't seem to stop watching and considering your distraction you fail to notice a dip in the ground and trip painfully, twisting your ankle on the way down. You lay on the ground for a moment, just letting yourself feel your throbbing ankle and looking up at the sky, a puff of green smoke rising from the fire as if to mock you.

You have received:
Sprained Ankle (Heals in 2 weeks)

Player Name: kara
Character Name:  incubus
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf creation. They seem to observe the lupine shape with a critical eye and after a long time of circling your wolf they smile up at you. Telling you the eye color is a nice touch and they happily carry your straw wolf over to the bonfire, they get halfway there and then spin around as if suddenly remembering something and they toss a goodie bag towards you, a perfect arc and you catch it easily. It has a very distinctive shape and is a little awkward for you to hold but you take it graciously, watching as your straw wolf goes up in flames, watching the fire light up the darkening sky. For some reason, you can't help but feel content in the silly little straw wolf you'd made.

You have received:
A Companion Accessory & 100 Gems have been added to your credits

Staff: note when claimed

Player Name: Bunni
Character Name: Bramble
Link to Thread: here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and graciously accepts your wolf creation. They seem to observe the lupine shape with a critical eye and you watch as other familiars are throwing other straw wolves on the bonfire and you feel a pit forming in your stomach. The familiar tells you you did a good job and you watch transfixed as your straw wolf is taken away, and added to the fire. The knot in your stomach grows, and you watch as those eyes, one for each of your parents reflects the fire and a deep fear comes over you. You need to get out of here, you can't be here anymore. It is a deep instinctual fear, something your young brain can't even being to process beyond needing to remove you from the situation right now! In a bit of a blind panic, you start back towards home, unaware that in your rush you left something precious behind.

You have received:
Loss of 93 Gemstones

Player Name: Indie
Character Name: Talyssa
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Familiars are wandering through the Steppe, gathering up straw wolves when they are done. One approaches you and is about to offer to take your straw wolf off your paws but when it looks up at your work, a whistle leaving it's mouth and it happily scurries up the figure. It calls out for more familiars and a few more rush over, each of them fawning over your work. A one of the familiars approaches you and holds out a goodie bag for you, it has a strange glowing pulse to it and the familiar implies to you to use its contents wisely. Perhaps luckily for you it seems it may take some time for the familiars to move your straw wolf so it'll probably survive long enough to bring a parent over before it is added to the pyre.

You have received:
A Firefly's Favor & 100 Gems have been added to your credits

Staff: Used for Prezzies for Players 2022 - nyx