Down the Bayou [Open]

[Prism]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=000000] Sloshing his way through a swamp. There was something new everyday, wasn't there? He couldn't help but wonder what on Traum had compelled him to venture into the murkiest area on the island. Frustrated with himself, Sherlock pulled himself out a mud pit that he had sunken down into, slithered out with a grotesque suctioned pop. The male shook, the splatters of mud returning to the murky liquid the swamps called water. It would be just his luck now if something came and attacked him. By this point, Sherlock was confident that he would welcome the death as long as it got him out of a sloppy mess like this one. He glanced back at himself, regretting the decision to, falsely admiring the excellent caking of the think mud onto his cream colored fur. He wasn't usually one to care about complexion, and he wouldn't in this certain situation, either, if the thick swamp mud didn't add a ton of pounds to his already heavy frame. So he shook again. As soon as he was comfortable again, the tundra wolf made a mission to avoid the deeper parts of the swamp, and had a good thread on land for a while, until it cut off. Sighing in frustration, the wolf continued through the edges on the swamp, huffing away and choking on little gnats or mosquitoes that would be breathed in with the thick, earthy air. He had to hack a few times, a gesture that he wasn't very fond of. Sherlock looked upon the water again with caution, stirring up the underbrush and little water bugs with it, as he carefully began to paddle through, paws barely touching the murk below. Confident now, the large wolf swam a little faster, recoiling though when he felt something rough underneath his hind left leg. The male felt a chilling shiver down his spine, sending a cold wave of surprise fear through every muscle in his body. Sherlock heard the splash before he caught it out the corner of his eye, but it was enough to gear him out of there. The foreigner paddled extremely hard, and when he could, sprung his way through the bottom murk, although a nip of his tail sent him reeling. He knew that he had to control himself if he wanted to get out of here in one big Sherlocky piece, but the reptilian eyes watching him from all around sent the adrenaline racing. The fact that a few bones were gathered around a tree didn't help much, either. About five feet from the shore, Sherlock was about the spring up again when he felt his leg sink down. For a moment, he gritted his teeth, expecting the pain. But it was only another one of the those pesky sink holes. Either way, he was going down quickly- faster than he would like, actually, and he struggled for a good way to get up. Finding a foothold out of the murky trap, the white wolf finally pulled free of the suctioned death, and scrambled to the large willow that he would call home for a while.

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[smartboyathome]

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[atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/kapo47.png] Dakrev growled in frustration as he trudged through yet another patch of water which he knew he couldn't get around easily, this land putting him in a bad mood rather quickly. He had been asked by Pepper, this young healer-in-training's mentor, to go fetch some herbs which only grew in these swamps, having already been given a small amount to memorize the smell. He had already found a few stocks of one of the plants and was carrying it in a bag she had given him for this, but there was still plenty more he had to smell out. The presence of the water made things worse, it overwhelmed the scents that were in the air, and washed away those that were on the ground, making it much harder for himself to find the herb. He'd had to just stick to searching as much of the swamp visually and confirming with smell, which was a painstakingly slow process. Things were made worse by how he could not avoid the water that he was constantly having to walk through, finding no way around many spots for himself. Sure, other wolves could probably make it around easily, but he was a broken wolf, possessing but one usable eye, his right, due to having been blind since birth. In addition, he was rather small, and so couldn't make all the jumps that others could, nor reach as high as them to get what he actually needed, nor even pull as strong as other wolves. Overall he lacked all that was needed to navigate this terrain easily, and even pick herbs at time since his lack of depth perception often posed a hindrance. He had started learning to accommodate it, but he was still rather clumsy and it was obvious that there was something wrong to everyone around him. Still, Pepper had been good to him and started to cheer him up, having told him that he'd find his way somehow, even if it did take more work than most others. He was strong for even living through his disabilities, he just had to find what he was good at in order to work even harder and get better at it. He still hated his life, though, and his clinical depression didn't help him any when he wanted to be happy, to have energy. At times he just wanted all the bad thoughts to go away, but then he'd tell himself he was being foolish and naive, just as he normally did. This wasn't good for him, and he wished that he could just be less so, to be able to talk to others whom understood him and what he was going through without coming off as a pup. This, of course, would only happen with time and patience, as he had been told many times. Dakrev had been carefully picking his way through the opaque water by feel to avoid spots which were too deep when suddenly he heard a splash along with a noise he didn't recognize. Someone, or something, else was here, he knew, though he didn't know what it was or why it'd be here, but he was going to check it out before deciding whether to fight or flight. He slowly paddled his way over to a group of bushes on the edge of the land, hoping to use them for cover as he spied on whatever this was. He hadn't realized that some of the creatures had already started heading his way, however, nor did he see them as they approached the other side of the bush. It wasn't until he saw the flash of jaws that he realized what was happening. With a yelp, he sprung back as far as he could, not able to tell how close the creature actually was though it was too close for his own comfort. He scrambled up onto a hill out of the water, though they were already starting to swarm himself, and he cursed himself again for being so weak. The creatures around him, strange and definitely not related to wolves at all, were glaring at him, and he knew they were going to attack any moment as he tried to think of a plan. He could climb the tree, though without actually being able to tell how high the branches was if he missed one time he could find himself a meal. There was always trying to outsmart the creatures as well, though weak as he was he doubted that brains could topple their bronze. However, his thoughts were cut short as one jumped at him, followed by another, causing him to make a split decision as to exactly what his actions would be. He jumped up toward the tree surprised at the height that he managed to get before launching himself off the tree and into the water, the creatures alreadying turning and going after him. There was what looked like a cluster of islands within reach as he paddled for his life, time seeming to slow as he listened to the nearly silent killers get closer. He never once turned his head, though he did call out, "Please, if anyone's around, help!" He couldn't fight these creatures, they were too much for him, and the island didn't seem to be approaching quick enough for him to get to. He wasn't going to make it, he was going to be eaten and then Pepper would never get the herbs.

[mirage]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=000000] ooc- Hope ya'll dont mind me jumpin in? Are your eyes deceiving you? ...... Mine are..... Each, cautious paw landed upon the softened ground, I could feel it... I could feel the mud, and murky waters squish between my toes.. That putried aroma slowly, slithering it's way like a venoum snake upon it's prey into my own slitted nostrils. Yes, it did cause me to cringe in disgust, and yes it was not quite enough to cause me to turn around and head back to more drier land. Has curiousity got the best of me? Perhaps.... I've heard about the dangers that lurked within the murky waters.. I know of the snakes and ly in their holes along some of the higher banks, and ground... I know of the vultures, that sit upon the branches...watching....waiting with hungry eyes... I wasn't born yesterday I know of all these tales, and yet.. I wanted to see for myself why the swampy lands were usually avoided... So far, this eerie, dark engulfed land had me captivated... You never knew what could possibly be hiding within the darkest shadows, and that thrilled me. Every day would be a new adventure. And if the tales were true, it could be an adventure that results in life, or death. The chances of that caused multiple thrills causing my own smaller sized body to tremble with excitement. I wasn't the tallest critter out there.. As a matter of fact I could probably be consider the midget of the wolven world... My legs were short, although rather scrawny. My pelt was matted as if I were attempting to turn my fur into dred locks, grains of dirt managed to bury itself into my once white pelt... Needless to say I was a bit 'off white' in coloration. Although I'm sure a good leap into a creek would cure that up real quick. I portrayed the image of your well known 'rough neck'.. Scars were visible along my canvas.. Although only a few stuck out more than ever due to the fur not wanting to grow back over them. My pale yellow orbs scanning the terrain over rather slowly. Twin towers pointed straight to the heavens to take in any sounds.. Just incase I may have some 'company' of another species.. And yet I heard nothing but the cries of the crows over head... I must still be around the outskirts of the swamp.. Because the more I walked, the darker it seemed to get. The thicker the mud clung to my legs, and the more uneasy silent it got... At first this seemed like a reasonable place to call home... But now, I was beginning to alter my decision a bit.. The sun now almost seemed entirely blocked from any view due to the towering tree tops... And now I could feel a bit of over whelming fear course through my veins, getting my own heart pumping... Maaaaaaaybe now would be a good idea to turn around.. I turned to look behind me and then realized I don't remember which path I had takin to get here, I took a few different courses... But no paw prints were visible on the mud, it was as if after one paw was pulled out, it sort of vanished, filling in with more murky waters, and I couldn't help but gulp. Was this a bad decision? I looked back to where I was headed, and squinted a bit to strain my eyes...... I saw nothing..... And silence now seemed to engulf me.. My auds twitched a bit, but I couldn't even pick up the annoying sounds of the crows no more.. Instead what did I see when I looked up? Those monsterous vultures, glaring down upon me, as if they suspected something. Nasty scavengers they were! Just the sight of those ugly, bald lookin creatures caused my stomach to churn. I lifted my lips up to offer them a snarl, but they didn't even flinch. Might as well stop worrying about them, though.... They were tough birds, smart too. Knew not to come near me, so patient they were.. Waiting for any sort of slip up that would leave to my death. But no, I was not going to slip up. Not me. I hope..... I continued to move foreward.. Ligaments moving rather slowly, anticipating each step, but I did mess up. I wasn't cautious enough, I ended up stepping into a blasted sink hole, that managed to engulf my legs and underbelly, stopping just at my sides. And a few stunned blinks was I could offer. My voicebox seemed to break for that breif moment of surprise and I looked all around me... The hell was this?! The rest of the walk had been just fine.. This was just my luck. A sigh escaped my lips as I shook my head simply thinking to myself.. 'How freakin pitiful is this?!' I never really seemed to talk aloud to myself but I sure did hold on conversations with myself in my head, not so much conversations I take that back, I tended to insult myself alot within thought. 'Now, aren't I just stuck in a rut?' I tried to force my left leg out first, but that didn't work... Then I tried with both back legs and nothing.... I tried jumping a little but I didn't budge in the slightest. It was times like this I wished I had those long, muscular legs... But wishing wouldn't make it happen. Maybe I need to start prayin for a fairy god pup? Right, like those exist... After a few attempts I managed to free myself, although don't ask me how I managed that one, but from here on out each step will be a bit more.... Thought out.. And they were, before each paw was placed on the ground, I made sure to feel it a little first. Pressing down a bit harder to see how far my paw would sink. Now, every now and again my paw would get stuck, but that was alot better than all four legs, right? That smelly mud remained caked upon my living carcass, weighing me down a bit more than usual. No matter where I went though, I felt as if I were being watched by someone, or something... Yet I saw absolutely nothing. It did keep my on my P's and Q's though.. Paying extra close attention to my surroundings.. It was then, the scent of something else caught my attention... This aroma I recognized. It was my own species... Although the scent was hard to pick up clearly due to the other...... aroma's.... that lingered.. None the less I went in that direction, maybe if the other wasn't one of those lunatics out on the kill.. he or she could tell me how to get the hell out of this place. I couldn't yet distinguish if the other was male or female, I just knew it was out there.... It felt as though I had been walking for hours, when really it was probably a good twenty minutes or so when I spotted the white'sh silhouette in distance... I slowly stopped my own motion and hollered in it's direction as loud as I could. My own feminine voice ringining over the silence that seemed to blanket over the area. My own tone much more melody like, easy to tell I was a bitch, eh? "Hey, you... Over there... How the heck do I.... My voice sort of... trailed off... I could hear the splashing of water, still a good distance off, and it caused my own head to tilt a bit in curiousity... My muscles were pooling me to go check it out but of course my brain said 'Sit, and Stay!' So stay I did, but what the hell was that? I could see beety little eyes sort of sticking out of the deeper waters.. but couldn't really make out what the hell it was, it was then another voice rang clearly through my ears, and it caused my own body to immediately become tense. It was definately a distressed call, and my own pale colored orbs looked towards the other white figure before my back hindquarters tightened and my own body sprang foreward. No time to check the deepness of the waters, I just sorta bounded through them, not giving much though. The grotesque waters flinging every which way. The call that was called out, was definately from a brute, and if it was in fact a male needing assistance, what could I possibly do? Let's face it, I aint super wolf, I'm not one of bolts ancestory... I'm just you typical, scrawny, wench. That was about the jift of it! As I grew closer, I spotted the darker hued male, and skid to a stop, caking myself in mud still a good distance away.. I also saw what was trailing behind him, and rather fast... Those must me river monsters! Or in this case... Swamp monsters? I scanned around everywhere.. but in such a split moment I couldn't come up with a game plan. I couldn't take them on my own, shit I couldn't take those beasts with assisstance! I cringed at the thought of watching the other get torn to bits and peices in the darkened water... What a horrible tragidy that would be! And also a gruesome sight! I continued to try to find something to distract the scaly beasts.. but couldn't find nothing.. except for.... My orbs landed upon a rather think branch and I bounded over to it, my own legs sinking into the ground. Jowls clamped onto one end of the distasteful bark and with all the might I had inside me I flung that branch in their direction, hopeing the splash would make the creatures turn around? Maybe catch em off guard? Shit I don't know... Pretty dumb plan huh?

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[Prism]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=000000] As the light began to dim through the thick trees, a light drizzle seeped out of the clouds and onto the darkened leaves, slipping down to earth once more. The water reacted, the small drop unsettling the sensitive surface. Sherlock could soon no longer see the beady but watchful eyes of the swamp creatures, and he figured that the horrid weather had sent them home. Sherlock held a blank expression, but the spark of curiosity and knowledge stood firm in his eyes. He studied the moving water carefully, re-testing his theories about the aquatic creatures that craved his flesh. The trees swayed above him with the heavy wind that had been picking up with the arriving storm. The white wolf sighed. He began pacing nervously, grunting with every heavy step that his large paw took. The rain had thickened, now penetrating through the leaves like they were air, and the bone chilling droplets sunk through to his warm skin underneath, creating a humid sensational under Sherlock's thick fur. It was one of his least feelings, and soon that fur began to drip onto the muggy ground, the gnats buzzing around his snout in desperation. As he walked the mud beneath him began to get thicker, and Sherlock was forced closer to the thick truck of the tree's base, and soon he was slowly walking circles around the grand thing. The water slowly rose from its basin, and the large male let out a low growl as a heavy drop of water landed on his left ear. He finally shook his head, and paced around the tree a final time before sitting, unsettled, directly on the base roots. His eyes glowed forth irritatedly, and he glared up at the sky. From his low fascination Sherlock suddenly stirred from a sound in the distance, and a smell to greet him. He presumed that he could have seen or heard the presence earlier when his trek was still going on, but the unfamiliar scent told him otherwise. Fear cracked the air like an icepick, and Sherlock's matted ears perked instantly. Splashes in the distance alarmed him again, and the great tundra wolf was now standing, moving to the edge of the water. An odd scene was unfolding before him, or a few yards away. Another wolf, dark in coloring, had found himself in a predicament with the scaly monsters that had involved themselves with Sherlock's being earlier. The small framed stranger was obviously in trouble, and now the tundra wolf felt the obligation to assist the wolf. "Please, if anyone's around, help!" The male sighed again before the muscles under his thick fur sprung to life, and Sherlock was propelled through the water with a hectic bounce towards the stranger, a barreling run. His eyes looked quickly but calmy for small patches of land or shallow areas, until he was a few feet from the the other wolf. With a slight, but quick, hesitation the smudged male leaped onto the back of one of the arisen alligators, putting a heavy step on it's rough snout to force it back into the murky water. The rain still pelted him, caused a fog over his pupils, but Sherlock was no sight hound, and used his other toned senses to find the short-legged stranger and speak to him. "Now that you can move, I'd advise you to follow." He huffed quickly, his neck craning to reach above the stranger, his aim to gently hold the scruff and pull the wolf to balance, but he turned around too quickly to know if his action had any benefit at all. With a quick assumption that the dark wolf was following, Sherlock leapt back to the small island, and as his paws hit the murky shore again he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Not only was his sense of safety regained, but the rain had shallowed to a light drizzle, and soon halted. It was only as Sherlock was about to strike up a conversation with this stranger that another voice echoed in the distance, fading out before it even appeared. The male cocked his head to try to pick up the feint sound, and even then his sharp hearing couldn't pick up the exact dialogue. "Hey, you... Over there... How the heck do I...." That was all that he heard as the tundra wolf shuffled to the edge of the water once more, russet eyes peering through the steam rising off of the murky swamp. Seeing nothing, Sherlock turned away and for a few moments regained his breath. And then a splash. It was distant, but the male was aware that he was not being deceived. His thoughts left the first stranger and ventured to the next. This one sounded like it was struggling intensely, and his constant curiosity once again gained the best of him. Sherlock traveled out onto a small peninsula of the island that he was perched on, and as the fog began to clear the shape of a ghostly figure was visible, plagued with mud. He called out a simple 'hello', but began to wander in the water to his ankles, careful of the faulty murk that he stood on, always unstable. A frown soon broadened his sharp features though, as he spotted the female struggling with the same reptilian creatures as earlier, and Sherlock groaned with a frustration. Once again he bounded through, biting furiously at the scaly beasts, and did another attempt to pull the female back to the island, where he assumed the other male was. "You'll have to work with me, dear." He said with a slight growl, flailing as he could feel his feet being suctioned to the ground, and with each step he took a force to carry on. He was tiring quickly, and soon the alligators were regaining the right mind from their earlier haze, and Sherlock knew it wouldn't be long before their frustration sent them following. It seemed like a cruel trick as the water seemed to get shallower, but his land no closer. Finally the off-white male was down to his ankles again, and he fell tiredly onto the mud, huffing impatiently as he flicked his tail out of the water and shuffled to land. Hectic days in the Traum, he thought bitterly. Word Count: 1,060 (plus words) Muse: Raw. Oww ): Tagged: Mirage and Smarty c: Other: "D

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[smartboyathome]

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[atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/kapo47.png] Dakrev didn't pay attention to the branch that was flying his way as he continued to swim as fast as he could towards the cluster of islands that lay ahead of him. He was only focused on himself, the creatures behind him, and the small hope ahead of him, but he knew that home was impossible to grasp, he would be swallowed up before then. Just as his birth parents had predicted, he would be killed by how weak he was, and he wasn't worth the effort that anyone else put into helping him. He was a failure, he was always destined to be so, and he shouldn't have survived past his birth, yet he did. Why he didn't know, but he knew enough about his family to know it was none of them whom had saved him, which meant it must have been his own will. He refused to give into his negative thoughts, he had been fighting them since he was just a puppy and would continue to fight them into the future. He would make Pepper and the rest of the Enchanted pack proud, and would show his parents that he wasn't someone weak. He was broken in his body, but he wasn't in soul, and he just had to find the place that he truly could call home, it was out there. Still, he felt his mind drifting toward the negative thoughts, but his pure focus on swimming helped him fight them off, and for once in his life he felt he could fight them. That didn't matter, however, he was going to die, though at least he was going to die feeling like he had finally done something. There was the sound of more splashes joining those of the creatures behind him grew louder with each passing second, sounding different from the rest of the splashes. He never looked back however, and his panicked mind made him figure that it was just yet another one of the creatures coming after him. He didn't want to die, that was for sure, and he had to keep pushing himself past his limit as the adrenaline coursed through his body. He had to keep moving, though he knew it was pointless, life in general was and this was why everyone kept going forward. Thoughts mixed in his head, he could hear the other being which had joined the chase getting closer to him though he refused to look back, and he panicked more. As soon as the being was a few feet from him, Dakrev moved swiftly in a different direction, trying to avoid it as a strike flashed in the corner of his eye. This was when Dakrev looked back as he continued swimming, and he realized that it wasn't another one of the creatures but another wolf. It was saving him, and he knew it had answered his calls but he couldn't help but wonder why considering it was risking its life for himself. He didn't even think he knew the wolf, but yet it was still here, still saving him, and he felt grateful that it had come at all. He still couldn't shake the panic that still remained in his soul even though for now he could live another day, the gray cloud was still over him. He stared as the creature sank under the wolf's weight, not noticing as his paws came upon a branch, causing him to stumble. He just watched as the wolf came off the creature with the one usable eye he had, knowing it was much stronger than himself. Fatigue was starting to take hold of him, but Dakrev knew he wasn't out of this yet as the wolf spoke and told him to follow before helping him back up onto all fours. He did so, panting heavily as they came toward a different island than that he had been heading toward, feeling much safer for now though not completely so. He was all but useless against these creatures, especially as he heard them going after yet another wolf which he figured had come upon them, and watched as the male went after it. A frown came upon his face as he looked down toward the ground, sitting himself on the ground and only able to watch as they fought once more. He wanted to leave them, to get out of sight in order to not trouble the wolf any longer, but he was too tired to move another muscle. The male was amazing, Dakrev could tell it was tiring but it wasn't giving up at all, even when it seemed that they were coming back. As it barely made it onto shore, Dakrev again wanted to help but his muscles just wouldn't move like he wanted to. Again, he had to remind himself, he was a broken wolf, a weakling, and he'd probably never amount to anything like his savior. He lowered himself toward the ground submissively as he figured that it'd be mad at him, though he didn't know. He could already here its words, asking him rather annoyed "What are you doing out here? Haven't you heard of the dangers?" making him frown. He knew of the dangers, and he had been warned, yet he had come out here anyway, and this was really all his fault. If he hadn't been out here, then probably neither of the other wolves would have been in danger, if he hadn't been weak they wouldn't have needed to save him. Now the creatures were just buying their time until they got some meals Dakrev guessed, and if they were caught he knew he'd be likely to be the first to go down.

[mirage]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=1D2100] To be brutally honest with you, I didn't think the lighter hued male would come to the rescue. I was to busy now trying to help the other brute that needed assistance in any useless way I could. Even if that meant just me throwing one massive branch. Well the branch was massive to me, maybe not to them, or the reptilian like creatures that moved so lithely in the murky waters... What were those things? Never had I seen a lizard with such an enormous size! They almost reminded me of fairy tale monsters, were monsters real? They sure looked it to me! I no longer think of them as fairy tales. One of them specific had caught my attention, he was huge. Much larger in length then even me and the way he floated in the water was remarkable. Was I really admiring the flesh eating beasts? What's wrong with me, I should be saying every wolf for his or her self and running the other direction, but the oddest looking things had me in a trance. I could feel his little beady eyes burning through my flesh for just a second, before it focused on it's main chase. And sad to say, I ran out of branches.. I didn't know what else to do. Was that darker hued brute about to meet his fate? I cringed a bit at the thought of him being torn from limb to limb by those dull teeth of the reptile. I had been so busy now with watching the play that was unfolding, I hadn't even noticed my own paws sinking deeper and deeper into the thick mud. I was caught unaware of the fact that if I needed to, I may not be able to move at this point. Pale orbs remained locked on what was going on. Twin towers remained propped up, however not alert to their fullest extent. My entire body remained tensed, watching, waiting.. It was then that the lighter hued male caught my attention, leaping upon the back of one of the scaly creatures and sort of flinging himself to wards the darker hued one. If only I had that sort of courage! Although due to the harsh fog it was hard to make out every little detail of what was going on, I did get a glimpse of it, and never even noticed the reptiles that were making their way to wards me.. I wasn't used to being the damsel in distress, just the damsel watching others in distress. I hadn't paid any attention to my own surroundings at this point, until I noticed the way the lighter hued one that almost meshed in with the fog looked in my direction, and I sorta looked around me, only to see a few smaller long snouted things coming my way... Wait, why do I get the little ones? Either way, they looked as if they could do a bit a damage, the way their dull fangs curved around their scaly snout made that 'flight' reaction kick in and when I went to run, that was when I felt the grasp of the mud holding onto my legs causing me to more or less fall, then head the other direction. Mud coating my already wet white pelt. The rain droplets finally getting into my eyes. It all happened at such speed, It finally dawned on me the brute was pulling at myself, and so I tried to help as well to free my legs. And finally it happened, I could feel the suction loosen and my own smaller sized body fling onto the land with brutal force, I just sort of laid on my side panting heavily. Eye like saucers and I looked tot he one who collapsed and then to the darker one that was also rescued. My own heart beating frantically against my chest... How could I be so foolish, as to watch them, and not even keep track of my own surroundings? That was not how I was taught! I would have severely disappointed those that loved me if they would have heard about this one! Good thing they no longer walk the earth, right? I wouldn't be able to stand having my failures pointed out at me. I looked back to the murky, tainted waters.... And they slowly seemed to go still of movement. Other than the droplets of rain that struck the surface of it.. Did the creatures give up? Did they just vanish? They didn't even leave a trace or sign that they were there.... Were they just waiting and hiding on the side lines for one of us to walk away? I inhaled deeply between panting breaths, but could smell nothing but the stale water.. I once more looked back to the darker hued one then the lighter one who looked completed exhausted... Which I wouldn't blame him to be honest. He just strained himself to the max rescuing us. And now I felt weak, and inferior.. Never have I felt so weak in my life. I didn't know what to say now, I felt more ashamed then anything. I laid there for a second then forced myself up onto muddy paws and made my way slowly to the edge of the island to outreach my neck and sniff at the top of the water... Nothing.. I lifted my dial once more and looked out in the distance. Before turning my ,still startled, gaze back to wards the other two. Muse- aight... Word Count-921 OoC- Open to Prism and Smart =D Sorry it took so long for me to reply! >.<

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[Prism]

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[atrb=background,http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk107/puddinxpiexB/sherlockmiddle.png?t=1292544219] Exhaustion riddled the male's large frame, to his displeasure. He gave a full hearted sigh as he began to push himself up from his awkward laying position, muscles tensing and locking as he found himself half way up. He knew it had been a good while since he had over exerted himself in such a manner, but that seemed like a disintegrative past, eons ago. Something that would never return, so it seemed. A soft, barely audible growl arose as he forced himself higher from the ground, a twisted expression on his professional face. He then took the time to raise his russet gaze to the two wolves who seemed to still be in a temporarily shock. As he had noted before, one was male and the other female. Looking more carefully now, though, Sherlock observed the weak eye on the shorter, darker male. The female, even in person had a ghostly look about her, the fur covering her body seeming to blend in with the moving mists that were becoming thicker as temperatures changed. The slow rain drizzle soon picked up once more, and with the frigid winter weather, turned to a light sleet. The tundra wolf frowned as the small shards of ice bounced happily off of his snout, with minor annoyance. The swamp waters themselves, however, did not fail to retain the humid head that they contained, making a sickly feeling if one went in the muddy liquid. His gaze shifted down to the ground, where his fur had clung to the sticky mud, leaving his an imprint where his body had regained the strength to stand. Older footprints were soon gone, swallowed by the thick murk of the swamp lands once again. No evidence left. Sherlock was happily fed by the chaos of Traum, he was fueled off of the macabre, it kept his sanity intact most of the time. And without the little event from earlier, Sherlock personally feared that he would have gone completely insane, out of his mind. His own personal unstable mind was hardly a thing to talk about, though. He had the mild case of insanity, but that was what made Sherlock himself. It's what gave him such a deducting and observant mind, something that he treasured. And that insanity would be kept down by constant cases of exerting itself. Not so much as fending off swamp creatures like to-day, though. Usually it was his conversations with others, the challenging banters that he endured and made others endure. The tundra wolf smiled to himself- he would not need to go through such extreme measures for a while. He could think about his predicament for a while and be fine with it. He made sure to stay in control, always. It was his own personal duty to himself. The male frowned, caught out of his trance as he felt one of the minuscule balls of ice collide with him right in between the eyes. The thick fur had caught it, and shook it out, but nonetheless Sherlock felt the slight pressure and snapped his head up. His attention now turned to the darker male from before- the first one that he had... 'rescued'. Sherlock took a few steps forward, head poised and cocked as he looked at the smaller stranger with an utmost curiosity. The wolf hung his head, looking at the ground. Soon the creature had twisted itself into a submissive position, still avoiding Sherlock's eyes. The tundra wolf frowned, but not before a small sigh. "That is hardly necessary, though I do appreciate the thought." He chuckled a little, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Please do raise yourself. You are no lower than I am." He mumbled, taking a slow seat on the muddy ground, lowering his eyes to his large, but mud-caked paws. He would shake them out later. For now his mind wandered on how he would get out of this horrid swamp. He was surprised that he had not worried about it before. Perhaps he had been too busy wrapping his expandable mind around higher matters, like avoiding death. Turning away from the male now, Sherlock looked over to the female. She had a pretty face, a nice build. It was a shame that he had no interest in love, sex, or any desire for intimacy what-so-ever. It was not exactly his forte, seeing as his only semblance of love had been a tricky, scheming maned wolf. And the fact that they only met while out of their right minds in the middle of the jungle. He snorted to himself. His brother, whom Sherlock had left back in his homelands without a word, had called him a masochist for ever wanting to see the gorgeous maned wolf, Adler, again. Her presence had fueled him. But that was the past. This was now. Some things were meant to be forgotten (which was painfully difficult when the evidence of one's faults was a child, formed by that bond). Looking up again, Sherlock could see the female looking at him. He frowned, staring back with a calculating expression. "Good day..." He grumbled.

[smartboyathome]

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[atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/kapo47.png] Dakrev could tell that the other male was looking him over, and this only made him feel worse about himself as he imagined what it was thinking of him right now. Probably that he was a small, weak thing, a fact he always reiterated to himself in order to remind him of his place in the world. He told himself again, he was not very big neither was he strong, and in this situation he'd not be able to run fast either for there was no dry land. All in all, both the male and female that were standing before him would probably be better prepared than him for navigating through this place. The male had already proved himself, but the fae hadn't, though she looked rather impressive for one if he did say so himself. He heard the male sigh, preparing to speak, and he waited, still submitting to it as he knew the words that were going to come out of his maw. He was already prepared to just go back to Pepper with the herbs that he had, but at the same time he was ashamed about what happened. He knew she wouldn't get mad at him, but he also feared the very, very minuscule chance that someone would get mad at him, and reiterating once more how weak he really was. Pepper told him that he just needed to find what he was good at, but he didn't know if he ever actually would find that elusive thing. All this was running through his mind at hyperspeed, and he could not control any of it yet as they beat him up mentally. However, instead of what he thought he'd hear, the male told him that what he was doing was hardy necessarily, and to raise himself. He did so, but he couldn't understand at the same time, he knew he was lower, he was thrown out by his own parents after all. He had foolishly wandered into the swamp, and not only that but also gotten himself into a nearly deadly situation, where he would have died if it wasn't for the male. If anything, the male should be yelling at him about how much energy had been wasted and how he was brainless for getting in that mess. Despite that, though, he didn't, and he felt ideas starting to melt and fuse together inside his head like snow under direct sunlight. Despite his confusion, though, he did as the male had told him, getting up rather slowly and trying to think of how he could make up for the energy lost. As he had already reminded himself, he was still pretty weak here, and even knowledge was something he lacked, more due to how young he was than anything else though he didn't want to admit it. He didn't think he had anything to offer the male other than his thanks, but if his parents had taught him anything this wasn't enough, they were just empty words. If one wanted to get anywhere, they had to use something more real, something that would help either himself or the other wolf later on. The male just looked down at its paws, and Dakrev had to wonder if they hurt or if they just were uncomfortable due to the mud that was still on them. Suddenly, he had an idea, he could tell that this wolf was tired from the whole thing, and perhaps he could help it with that in his own way. He reached back into his pouch, shelling through it with his nose trying to remember which plant Pepper had said would help the fatigued. He had become adept to using his nose rather than his eyes, or rather eye, since he couldn't always trust his eye, while he found their smells more distinct. He knew he had gotten some on the edges of the swamp, one of the first things he had gotten, and so it was buried under everything else. Finally, he found it, a twig with a few leaves still on it and with a smell that could only be described as pine mixed with swamp water and salts. Pulling out delicately in order not to spill the other herbs and a few berries that he had collected. Knowing the others were probably looking at him, he turned to the male and said as best he could while keeping the twig in his mouth, "Here, eat the leaves off of this, it may not taste good but it will help you with how tired you are. I'm sorry for what I got you two into. My name is Dakrev, whom are you two?" He was trying not to show that he still felt that he was lower than them, nonetheless it sounded like a bit slipped out, though it could just be his imagination. He just waited patiently to see if the male would take it and accept his apology.

[mirage]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=1D2100] I had continued to watch our rescuer for a brief moment as he pushed himself back upon all fours. The look of exhaustion easily visible upon the way he moved, and I felt bad for him having to exert himself in such a manner. If I had been paying more attention to my own surroundings instead of being more engulfed on what was going on he probably wouldn't have had to work himself to such an extent. A sigh escaped my own lips. Heart still trembling within my own chest. I could feel my ligaments shaking no matter how hard I tried to mask it. My glance then shifted over towards the other male for a brief moment, wondering if he felt as bad, and useless as I did. I soon forced myself to switch my gaze back to where the beasts lurked. A sigh escaping my own clamped jowls. Trying to figure out how I managed to get myself in this mess in the first place. If I were more cautious I wouldn't have been in such a stupid predicment that could have easily been avoided! I was more disappointed in myself than anything. Shit I was so disappointed I couldn't even force out words at this point. My voice would still be trembling. I shook my head, consumed in my own thoughts before changing my attention back to the two males. Inhaling deeply to take in both their musky aroma I had noticed how the smaller one seemed to insantly take on a more submissive demenor. And I couldn't blame him. My own dial remained lower as well. And then when the other spoke my twin towers automatically lifted forward, listening to his every work that escaped his lips. Although I remained silent.My brain seemed to have went on hold, forgetting I was on the other line. I didn't know what to say. And once his words were directed to me, my entire canvas seemed to tighten. My own words seeping from my black lined lips. "Thank you. If you wouldn't have been here.. Well then... I guess I would have been ground meat.." My optics shifted back to the waters with a sigh. My voice possessed that trembling weak tone when I spoke. My stomach was still tied in knots. Never in my entire life had I felt so weak, and vulnerable. A horrible feeling it was! My attention soon drifted back to the darker hued one. And invisible brow rose in a questioning. What on earth was he doing out here? There again, the same question could be asked about me I suppose. After a while I had just sort of turned the Swamp lands into my home. I don't know why seeing as how it is the most unsuitable living environment out there. I was just attracted to the murky waters, the deathly aromas.. Strange, no? However the only thing was I usually refrained from veturing out as far as I had today. Stupidity on my end, eh? I still couldn't figure out why the albaster male was still calm and collecting. I had been waiting for the same reaction as the darker one. I was waiting to be scolded at, asked why we were so foolish and blind to the fact that we didn't consider the predators that looked about.. But instead he never once rose is tone. I watched the darker one closely as he pulled out a twig, and a look of pure confusion took over my facade. I listened into as the other spoke, and stared at what he had pulled out still a bit confused. How could something like that help someone? I was no where near close to understanding healing methods. And then the other spoke I just allowed a smile to sneak over my lips before it soon faded. "No need to apologize. Sometimes we can't help how things turn. Even if they turn for the worst you learn something valuable, right? I am Mirage."

[/i] I offered them both a bow of my own crown. My voice never leaving the tone above a whisper.


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